The Residual Organization
by Ninvampirate
Summary: Thank you for using the Residual Organization, a company of bloodthirsty quick-witted individuals whose sole purpose is to rid you of your least favorite person! We'll gladly dispose of whoever makes your life Hell! All we ask for in return is your sanity
1. My First Day, Roxas's story

Kairi Hoshiko...

Tall, slender body…Peach skin without a single blemish…Long brown hair that's clearly taken care of…radiant blue eyes…A personality that would make any boy swoon over her…

I fucking hate that bitch.

I aimlessly surf the Internet, completely ignoring the pile of books and papers next to me. An advertisement positioned atop the site I'm viewing catches my eye. It says "Does someone make your life Hell? Click here" on a black screen. Curious, I click on it. A new window with a peculiar title opens.

"…The Residual Organization?" I mutter. The website is as plain as the advertisement. Apparently, there's a price for their services but I don't see one anywhere. …What do they even do? Pull pranks or something? I skim through the page.

_Please type the target's full name and what he/she did to you. Include your name in the description. Do not worry; your identification will not be revealed to the target._

…Is that all? That's a bit vague…Maybe it's a local company.

I decide to make use of the clearly-suspicious site instead of starting my homework.

"Kairi…Hoshiko…" I say as I type the bitch's name. I highly doubt this'll work, but it would make my year if it did…Oh, maybe they'll humiliate her at school! That would be amazing…

"She's bullied me since elementary school…About time I have my revenge…" I conclude, trying to block the doubt dwelling in my mind. Once I finish my…admittedly exaggerated description of the girl, I move my mouse until the pointer lands on the 'Send' button. I stop myself. What if…What if it's something more than a harmless prank? I don't know anything about this nameless company… What if it's dangerous?

…Nah…It's not like I said where she lives or anything…

So…I click on the "Send" button.

_Processing…_

_Thank you! Results will occur in ten hours or less._

All I can do it wait, I guess. I'm so excited about what's to come that I can barely sleep.

I'm surrounded by white. Is this a dream? I walk through the world of nothingness until I spot a curvaceous silhouette. As I approach the figure, it slowly turns to face me. It doesn't take me long to discover who I'm face-to-face with.

"Oh…Kairi, it's you…" I say, trying unsuccessfully to sound happy to see her. As soon as I say her name, she giggles like the attention-grabbing bimbo she is. I grimace. Why the hell is she invading my subconscious?

"Roxas…" she calls me by my dreadful birth name. "Don't tell me you're still mad at me…You need to learn to let things go, sweetie…"

Is she fucking serious? A series of homicides race through my mind as Kairi smile innocently at me. Strangling her…Drowning her…Pushing her off a cliff…No…No, calm down…She'll get what's coming to her soon enough.

"Eh…?"

Kairi suddenly glances at her hand. There are a few embers on her fingers. She fervently attempts to shake them off but they begin to spread.

"Ow…" I hear her murmur as she tries to smother the growing flame with her opposite hand. Still no luck. The fire quickly spreads onto her arm and her torso shortly after. She desperately pats her body as her anxiety becomes evident. She looks at me frightfully as her body is gradually being burned. I can't help but smile darkly. This is a pretty epic dream…

…Why can I feel the heat from the fire?

"Oh my God…"

Is this real? Does this have to do with that website? I begin to worry as I inch my way toward Kairi. I reach for her, having no idea how to help her. Before I make contact, the flames expand. I inadvertently back away and guard myself with my arms. Kairi, who's completely engulfed in the inferno, is screaming. Whether it's because of fear of death or the pain, it's hard to tell at this point. I can hardly see her tears, which quickly evaporate.

"HELP ME!" she shouts maniacally before screaming again. She falls onto her knees, still frantically slapping her body. Her perfect brown hair disintegrates and falls onto the white ground as ashes. Her blue eyes are red from dehydration. Her tall, skinny body begins to slump. Her screaming ceases as she weakly lifts her head to face me again. Her expression is a mixture of melancholy and fright.

"Help me…Roxas…" she sniffles. "It hurts…Why are you doing this to me…?"

I feel a lump in my throat. Do I…actually feel sorry for her? But…it's just a dream, right? Please let it be a dream…

"M-Me? But I…I'm not…" I pause. 'I'm not doing this!' is what I wanted to say, but I have difficulty believing myself. I can't stop thinking about that damn website…

Soon, Kairi's weeping comes to an end. She's still on her knees with her head down and arms dangling on her sides. The fire continues to eat away at her, peeling her peach skin and tearing her clothes.

Is she…?

"K…Kairi…?"

No response.

"…xas…"

"Kai…ri…"

"Roxas!"

"Huh…?"

Is she calling me? But…how?

"Rooooxaaaaas!"

Something with a familiar voice calls me as it violently shakes my shoulder. My eyes snap open before I nearly punch my brother in the face.

"Whoa, down boy!" he holds up his hands defensively. I freeze once I realize whose nose I was about to break.

"Oh…My bad…" I smile apologetically before rubbing my eyes.

"Aww, did my widdle brudder have a nightmare?" Sora says teasingly, knowing that's he's older than me by a mere three minutes. I glare at him before averting my eyes. I did have one, but saying that would only encourage him to baby me.

"Hey, I'm the one who should be mad!" Sora pouts. "Because of you, we're gonna be late for school again!"

What? I glance at my alarm clock. Sure enough, we only have about ten minutes until school starts.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" I shout before nearly falling head-first out of my bed. I grab some clothes from the floor and smell them. My face twists. Whew…Definitely not wearing the hoodie today…

"I tried, but your lazy ass wouldn't budge!" my brown-haired twin assures. "You kept saying Kairi's name too…"

When the girl is mentioned, I drop the jeans I was holding.

"Uh…Yeah…I had one of those dreams again…" I mutter before picking up the clothing.

"Yeah? Dude, you've been thinking about her a lot lately…You sure your so-called 'hatred' for her isn't just a crush?"

"Trust me, it's not." I groan, finally finding something that smells somewhat decent. "But that dream…It seemed so real this time…"

"You're probably just nervous about your first day at…what's the name of that place again?"

"For the hundredth time, it's called The Renovation Corp."

"Oh yeah…Since when did you know anything about architecture?"

"I don't, but I need the money. I'll just be someone's secretary anyway, so hopefully I won't have to work on any buildings," I shrug. Once I finish dressing myself, I stuff my blank worksheets and textbooks into my book bag. My lack of finished work is a bitter reminder of the website. I shake the uneasy feeling away before letting my twin know I was ready.

Sora and I rush to school, praying that the teacher is either absent or tardy as well. My brother has trouble keeping up with me, so I grab his wrist and drag him along.

"Jeez, I'm the lazy one?" I say, chuckling. "Those hours of video games are kicking your ass..."

Sora's out-of-breath retort only makes me laugh harder.

"Bite me…I'm…not…an athlete…" he pants. "Hey…what's…going on…over there?"

Not sure what he means, I slow down and follow his line of sight. There's a group of people on the road beside us. Some are chatting with one another while others are either in tears or heaving. Sora and I stare at each other worriedly before making our way to the crowd and pushing through it.

"Alright, back it up, people! This is a crime scene!" a police officer growls before he and his men push the people away. I manage to catch a glimpse of the situation.

It's a dead body. It was decapitated, but the head is nowhere in sight. I cover my mouth, resisting the urge to vomit. I'm unable to look away as the body becomes disturbingly familiar.

"…R…Roxas…I-I think that's Kairi…" I hear my brother put my suspicions into words. There's no mistaking it…She's wearing the same outfit I saw her in yesterday and half of the BFF necklace her blond clone gave her. There is blood splattered on her body and the area where her head should be. I'm completely frozen from shock.

D…Did I cause this…? My mind goes blank as my stomach begins to empty itself.

"Roxas!" I can barely hear Sora calling me. He grabs me, knowing I was about to pass out.

I don't remember much after that.

When I awaken, I find myself in my school's clinic. My head falls onto my hand as I question which parts of today were a dream. The school nurse places her bony hand on my shoulder and asks if I'm alright. I lie in order to leave the room. Within seconds, I'm bombarded by the overwhelmingly-depressing atmosphere. It wasn't a dream; Kairi's really gone, and…I might be the reason…

My first period class isn't safe from the sullen mood. It's deathly quiet. No one even instinctively looks toward the door as I enter the room. I sit next to my brother, and my eyes wander until I spot Kairi's clone, Namine. She is silently weeping while being comforted by other female students. It would be far too awkward to interact with the icy-blonde, so I ignore the commotion and daydream. The remainder of class seems to fly by as the school bell snaps me out of my trance.

"Oh, um…Namine, I'm sorry about…you know…what happened…" I watch Sora attempt to be sympathetic. The blond girl stares at him blankly before shaking her head.

"…It's…It's just weird…knowing that's she's gone now…" she mumbles with a forced smile.

She's on the verge of tears as she speaks, so she quickly walks away. After watching her leave, my head falls onto the desk in front of me. After a moment or two of scolding myself, I lift my head slightly to see Sora kneeling in front of me.

"Roxas…" he states in a low voice. "Remember when you told me that your death dream about Kairi felt real?"

"Sora…! I-I didn't-…I mean…I had nothing to do with what happened!" my defensive tone is more forced than expected.

"I believe you," he assures. "At least…I want to…"

"What? You want to? B-But I never le…!"

My outburst causes a few nosy stares. Getting excited would only raise suspicion, I tell myself.

"…I never left the house last night," I hiss. "Besides…her head was cut off! It must've been a Reaper."

"A Reaper…You mean those guys wearing black coats that we keep seeing on the news?" Sora reminisces about what's been on the news the past few weeks. "But…why would they target her?"

"Iunno…" I say truthfully.

I highly doubt Kairi's demise is my fault… The Reapers are criminals. There's no way they would do anything that would jeopardize their freedom, especially create anything as retraceable as a website. Even if they did, I didn't reveal any personal information about Kairi. Yeah…That's right…If anything, the website was just some twisted way to make scorned individuals get their hopes up for about ten hours. I didn't do anything wrong.

…Then why do I still feel uneasy?

From now on, I have to rush home, prepare for work, and run to The Renovation Corp's office. As I stand in front of the door of my workplace, I straighten my uncomfortable-as-hell necktie and take a deep breath. Okay, Roxas, this is your first job…Don't screw things up, don't screw things up, don't-

My mental chanting is interrupted when I'm bumped into by a woman with blond antennae. She nearly drops the tall box of supplies that is blocking her vision.

"Hey!" she shouts, stretching her neck high enough to make eye contact with me. "Watch where the fuck you're going, moron!"

…But you ran into _me_!, I wanted to say, but the woman's hostile stare is enough to keep me quiet.

"Wait…Aren't you the guy Axel hired?" she wonders, raising an eyebrow. I timidly nod before smiling. She rolls her eyes before continuing her errand.

"Great. _Another_ idiot." I hear her grumble before bumping shoulders with me. …Well then... I make my way into the office, which is filled with busy employees; some are partially enveloped by their cubicles while others are chatting over what appear to be blueprints. Having no idea where to go, I wander through the hallways while searching for someone who isn't occupied. When I finally find an employee on break, his intimidating appearance makes me have second thoughts about talking to him. Long dark hair with streaks, battle scars, and an eye patch...A pirate? Before I could slip away, the man sees me and grins maliciously.

"You must be the new kid." the pirate says. I nod, trying my damnedest to avoid gazing at his bad/missing eye.

"I guess you're gonna show me the ropes, huh?" I chuckle. I hope I'm wrong.

"Hmph, fat chance," the man snarls. "You noobs are more trouble than you're worth."

"Oh."

That was uncalled for…

"You're Roxas, right? Name's Xigbar Ni," he smiles proudly. "I'm in charge of planning our projects. Ya know, blueprints and stuff. Stay out of my way and we won't have any trouble."

Damn, two people already hate me. Way to go, Roxas…

"Um...Do you know where Mr. Hachi's office is?"

"Yeah, he's down that hall, fourth door on the right."

I thank the pirate before speed-walking down the hall. It becomes increasingly quiet as I move closer to my destination. Damn, this is a long hallway…I count the doors on my right until I approach one with the Roman numeral VIII attached to it. After taking yet another deep breath, I knock. It takes about several seconds for someone to answer. My jaw nearly falls off when I see my boss. Spiky red hair; wild emerald green eyes with purple teardrop tattoos under them (oh shit, did he kill someone?); and…holy crap, he's freakin' tall…He reeks of cigarette smoke but I try to ignore that.

"Oh, hello." the man smiles. I quickly return the gesture in order to cover up my shocked countenance.

"You must be Roxas. My name is Axel Hachi. It's nice to finally meet you."

…Now that I think about it, I was never interviewed...

"Likewise, Mr. Hachi. I'm happy to be of service."

He lets me into his fair-sized office. The first thing I see is a lighter sitting next to an ashtray with a lot of put-out cigarettes. One of them still has smoke emitting from it.

"I apologize for failing to give you the directions to my office. I assume you spoke with some of my partners?"

My heart sinks. He works with those horrible people? That means I have no choice but to interact with them…

As if he's reading my mind, Mr. Hachi smiles sympathetically at me.

"Don't worry…They don't hate you, particularly…They're just wary of strangers," he explains. "We've worked together for decades, after all…"

Decades? How long have they known each other?

"Oh…Okay, good," I sigh in relief. "I thought I did something wrong…"

"No, you're alright…Just don't look them in the eye," he sounds serious… "So! Let's talk business. As my secretary, all you have to do is organize files and run a few simple errands. For starters, I need you to give everyone in this hallway six copies of this week's sched…"

He suddenly grimaces. His head falls onto his hand as he tries to shake the pain away.

**_…out…Let me…_**

A peculiar sound results from shaking his head. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I heard a voice…But…'s lips aren't moving…

"Shut up, Eight, shut up…" the red-haired man growls. Eight? He names his headaches?

**_Let…out…_**

There it goes again…

"Eight…It's not nighttime yet. Behave!" hisses. The noise subsides after a short while and Axel sighs heavily. He smiles at me apologetically…The guy's nice, but I'm questioning his sanity.

"Um, why six schedules, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Each of us has five underlings, for lack of a better word. They're competing for the opportunity to work with us instead of for us. Two of my own were already promoted."

"…And I'm their replacement?"

"Unfortunately. The fifth will arrive in a few days."

"Huh…Then, I'll have to do my best, won't I? Be back in a sec!"

In the office next to Axel's, I meet a man with green eyes and a dirty-blond strange-looking mullet. He's tinkering with an blue sitar while leaning back in his office chair and using his desk to rest his feet. He pauses once he sees me. Either he finished tuning his instrument or is waiting for me to say something.

"I'm here to give you the new schedule…" I say unenthusiastically, taking Mr. Hachi's advice and avoiding eye-contact.

"…Yeah? Put 'em on my desk."

His voice is rather soothing and relaxed. I obey with newfound hope. As I take six sheets of paper out of my pile, I see the man start to play from my peripheral vision. He's skillfully strumming a beautiful, familiar song so I can't help but stay in his room a little longer. I want to ask him what the song is called but I don't want to risk breaking his concentration. My foot instinctively taps to its upbeat rhythm and, for the first time today, I genuinely smile.

"Tough bein' the new kid, huh?" he asks, scaring me.

How did he…I didn't show any signs of anxiety, did I?

"Y…Yeah, a little," I agree, "but I can handle it. I'm no weakling."

"Hey, never said you were," he doesn't miss a beat as he talks. "Just sayin'…I know what it's like since I was the newbie before you."

"Really? How did you get promoted?"

"I got connections…" he grins. "Big Boss knows my dad."

"Oh. Lucky."

"Now, the question is…why are you here? We don't just let anyone join."

"I dunno…It's not like I know anyone on the inside. I just applied for the job and I was accepted a few days later."

"Hm…Even if just one superior wishes to hire someone, it'll happen. Someone in the company must know something we don't," the guitarist assumes. A little hurt by the unintentional insult, I try to cut the conversation short.

"Well…I gotta go give these to the other bosses, so…"

"It's called _Blackbird_ by the Beatles."

"Huh?"

"You wanted to know the name of the song, right?"

"Uh…yeah. Thanks…"

…I never asked for his name…

"Demyx Kyuu. Nice to meet ya, kiddo."

"…I'm Roxas Juusan," I tell him, a little freaked out by his telepathic abilities.

Alright, that makes Freaky Boss Number Four…

The man who resides in the next room has short platinum-blond hair and several piercings on his ears. His blue eyes are skimming through the cards on his desk. He's playing blackjack with who I assume is one of his "underlings". Not wanting to bother him, I quietly drop off his set of schedules and walk away.

"A cardinal regulation of the workforce: Do not unpretentiously abscond from your superior's office without informing him of your appellation. It's ill-mannered."

I freeze. What did he say?

"…Your name, young man. What is your name?" he sighs.

"R…Roxas Juusan."

"Luxord Juu. I apologize, but this activity is of utmost significance and mustn't be hindered a second longer."

Judging by the smile on his face, he must be winning…I quickly leave before he challenges me.

In the next office, I see a girl with her back turned. She's tall with long pink hair. Her room is filled with cherry blossoms and other flowers. She seems to be tending to one of them. I put six sheets on her desk before considering Mr. Juu's advice.

"Excuse me."

She stops what she's doing and begins to face me.

"Hello, my name is Ro…"

Oh crap, she's a guy!

"…Ahem…I-I'm Roxas Juusan."

"…Marluxia Juuichi." his monotonous voice matches his emotionless expression. Without saying another word, he continues watering his flowers. Gradually getting used to the peculiar behavior, I exit the room.

When I finally finish my errand, I sprint back to Mr. Hachi's room. I inadvertently slam the door shut, scaring my red-haired boss. I can tell he was massaging he temples before I came in. Another headache? Poor guy…

"Wow, you're still alive," he states, impressed. "Thank you, Roxas."

"Are you okay? You look like you're in pain."

"Haha, yeah, I'm fine. I'm used to it," he swiftly changes the subject. "I know they're difficult, but don't worry. You won't have to deal with them on a regular basis."

"Oh, thank God…" I sigh heavily. Axel laughs again.

"You may turn out to be my favorite underling…" he smiles.

I guess you're the only one I can call a friend here, I silently conclude.


	2. Eight, Axel's story

When Roxas's shift ends, we say our goodbyes. I didn't give him too much to do since it was her first day. Even though the first day here would drive others away, he managed to continue working with a smile. I must admit, he's a gem.

"So guys…What's your opinion on the new kid?" I ask when my eleven partners gather in my office. Their faces immediately darken, as expected.

"Axel, what the fuck were you thinking?" Larxene snaps. "You know damn well how dangerous it is to let outsiders into our company!"

"Don't think for a second that he'll be a member of the Organization." Saix, my blue-haired superior, warns.

"Oh, come on! Give him a chance…" I beg. "I needed more apprentices! Besides, he managed to retain his sanity after you guys bullied him, right?"

"Maybe he's used to it."

"...Hold on, did Eight reap that Kairi girl because of him? He only used his first name in the report, but…"

"Honestly, how many Roxases do you know?"

"Good point. …Hey, get this! Eight was being more of a pest than usual whenever Roxas was around. There's something about that kid…I'm just not sure what…"

"Yo, guys! The sun's almost down!" Demyx announces. The others look at him before nodding. They exit my office and go back to theirs. While waiting for them to prepare, I open one of my desk drawers. In it, there's a long black robe with a hood, a large brown sack that Eight uses to carry his 'trophies', and a list of targets' names printed from our website. I sigh heavily. I hate doing this; I'm not a bad guy. Unfortunately, I have no other choice…since…at night, I'm…

"Ngh…"

My head hurts again…

_**~Come on, come on, come ooon! Let me take over already! I wanna have my fun, ya damn goody-goody!~**_

"Shut up, Eight…" I growl before feeling another painful throb. "Fine! Fine, just…stop hurting me…"

…

**_Ah, finally! Anyway…As I slip on my work clothes, I think about all the pain and suffering I'm about to give to my targets and their loved ones. Oh, I'm getting excited just thinking about it! What used to be Axel's prized lighter is a scythe with red flame designs on the blade. After putting on my pitch-black gloves, I pick up the weapon from the blue-haired man's desk and leave his office. I notice that my partners are prepared to leave as well._**

_**"Who's going be your prey tonight, Eight?" Six asks. I smirk before taking out my list.**_

_**"Tch…A bunch of kids again. Teenagers are so frickin' sensitive…"**_

_**"…"**_

_**"Hey, don't you get offended, Goth boy."**_

_**"…Well, it can't be helped. You shouldn't disappoint our customers." he sighs.**_

_**"Yeah, yeah, I know." I roll my eyes as I conceal myself with my hood.**_

_**…**_

_**"I can sense my target. I'll see ya in a bit, Ten."**_

_**My partner, Ten the gambling know-it-all, leaves. I take a look at my target's information again. The person suddenly appears in my head. Zack Fair…Spiky navy-blue hair, gray eyes, and a playful expression…**_

_**"Ooh, you were a bad kid…" I smile before approaching the boy's house. It's a two-story building and I can sense my target's presence on the second floor. With a malicious grin, I jump onto his window sill. While crouching, I take a peek inside his room. He likes heavy metal and skulls and shit like that, huh? He and I could've been friends. Ah, well… I use my scythe to break the window's lock before discreetly opening it. I slip inside. As I lurk in the shadows, I watch Zack Fair sleep peacefully. I clench onto my scythe's grips as my excitement heats up. I wonder what his blood will taste like…**_

_**He's finally within my reach…I can hear his soft breath. I'll be the one to end it. I can hear his heartbeat. I'll be the one to slow it down. These thoughts race through my mind as I slowly put the chine of my weapon against Zack's neck. Just one swift movement and…**_

_**His eyes are opening. Shit… As soon as he sees my glowing red eyes, he prepares to scream. I refuse to give him the chance to save himself, so I clasp my hand onto his mouth. He's still attempting to shout, but only I can hear his muffled cries for help.**_

_**"Shhhh…"**_

_**It takes a few seconds for him to give up. He's trembling and his eyes are wide, but it's clear that he won't make another sound.**_

_**"I strongly encourage you not to involve your family…" I whisper with a suave voice. "Who knows what'll happen to them if you do."**_

_**Zack quickly nods, on the verge of tears. I smile victoriously before removing my hand. I take my target's information out of my coat pocket. Zack watches on, not daring to scream again.**_

_**"Hmhmhmm…" I hum as I skim through the sheet. "Ah, there you are…Zack Fair, sixteen years old. Someone who shall remain anonymous caught you abusing stray animals and, in a fit of rage, reported you to me."**_

_**"I-I…" he begins. I push my scythe closer to his neck in order to shut him up.**_

_**"Now, this goes without saying, but…you're going to die tonight."**_

_**"Wait…P-P-Please don't kill me…"**_

_**Tired of his voice, I push my scythe a little too hard. Blood spews out of the cut and stains my coat. I pick up his detached head by its navy-blue hair and stare at its terror-filled gaze. Blood gushes out of his body, making quite a mess on his bed. Now, I don't have time to bask in my work. According to the schedule that Roxas kid gave Axel, we're only allowed ten minutes per target. I stuff Zack's head into my bag and exit the room, which now reeks of my target's gore.**_

_**…**_

_**I meet Ten at our rendezvous point. He's carrying his trophy bag, which contains three heads, in one hand and his scythe in the other.**_

_**"Damn, Ten, you work fast!" I'm impressed and slightly pissed off at the same time.**_

_**"It's imperative to operate resourcefully, is it not?" he sounds professional but has a smug look on his face.**_

_**"Well, unlike you, I don't think of this as a contest. Loosen up! Have fun with it, will ya?"**_

_**"Performing tasks for recreational purposes, huh…" Ten mutters while adjusting his glasses. "This elucidates your occasional inability to achieve your quotas."**_

_**"Drop dead, asshole." I groan. We converse for a short while before hunting down our next target. On the way to my destination I get a little parched. I need blood…Maybe Zack's didn't dry out yet. I take the dripping head out of my sack and lift it above me. The blood trickles out of the body part and into my mouth. I lick my lips after tasting the boy's flesh. The taste of Fear is pretty strong. So familiar…So…boring…**_

_**"Eight, you greedy bastard!" I hear a familiar, hostile voice. I flinch, resisting the urge to run away.**_

_**"Oh…Hi Twelve." I watch the blond woman walk toward me with her 'I'm About to Scold You' face.**_

_**"Can you go one night without eating your targets?" she snaps. I roll my eyes.**_

_**"Oh, pull the stick outta your ass! You know you want a taste!"**_

_**I dangle the head in front of her. She stares at it for a second or two before pushing it away.**_

_**"Piss off, Ginger!" she growls before marching off.**_

_**"Hmph…Suit yourself." I shrug before having another drink. …Still boring…I want to taste another emotion. All I ever had was Fear, Sadness, and Guilt. There's a reason why I feed off of my victims every night. I'm searching for something new…Something different…Something unfamiliar…Something like…like…that Roxas kid's blood…**_

…

"No…No, absolutely not."

Has Eight lost his mind? Does he honestly think I'll allow him to drink my apprentice's blood?

_**~But I want him! I can't explain why, but there's something about him that's…drawing me to him. It drove me crazy last night. I want to eat him up, Axel…~**_

When Eight gets chills of ecstasy, I receive them as well. I blush slightly.

"S-Stop…He's just a kid! Don't make me feel this way about him…"

_**~You can't resist it forever, goody-goody…You're just as bad as me.~**_

I cringe when I hear the horrible truth. He's right…He and I are one. If he wants something, eventually, I'll want it too…

There's a knock on my door. It must be him…I'm surprised he didn't quit yet.

"Come in!"

Roxas walks inside with a depressed expression. He must've bumped into my partners again… I shake my head before smiling softly.

"Good afternoon, Roxas."

Somehow, the greeting alone makes Roxas grin. Well, I can't really blame him…I'm the only one who'll show him any amiability.

"Hi, Mr. Hachi!" he gleams. "So, what do I need to do today?"

"For starters, I need you to study the schedule I gave you."

"Sure thing! …Um, Mr. Hachi…There's something on your cheek." Roxas says, pointing at the left side of his face.

"Huh?"

I brush my fingers against my right cheek and look at them. I see a red liquid and gasp quietly. Eight, you careless bastard…

"…Thank you, Roxas." I mutter. The blood…smells pretty good…I lick my fingers and tremble slightly. Fear…I haven't tasted it for so long…It sharpens my instincts for a moment. What is that amazing scent…? No…That's not Roxas, is it…? His blood smells astounding! A mixture of Bravery and Anger…

"M-Mr. Hachi, are you okay?"

_**~Hahaha…I knew you'd like it…~**_

"I'm fine…" I clear my throat as I gradually lose my cannibalistic impulse.


	3. Suspicious Behavior, Roxas's story

_**Let me…out…**_

I can hear the mysterious voice and Mr. Hachi's mumbling, but I'm used to it. Whenever I walk by the red-haired man's desk, he smiles at me. I return the gesture rather enthusiastically. Kairi's passing still lingers in my mind. I should be a bit more…sad that Kairi's dead, but I can't stop grinning. I admit I was a bit shocked when I saw her headless body the other day, and sure, I felt bad for her, but I decided to be more optimistic about the matter. I mean, she's the same girl who sabotaged my science project and laughed at me as I received an F…The same girl who pretended she was gay and stole my first girlfriend…The same girl who "accidentally" dropped my laptop…Thank God she's gone.

"Roxas, please watch where you're going." Axel states softly, massaging his temples. I'm not sure why he said that until I head-butt a wall. I was in such a contentment-induced daze that I completely missed the doorway I intended to walk through.

"Oww…" I barely manage to keep the pile of papers I'm carrying intact as I topple backwards. My boss chuckles before being silenced by my glare.

"Sorry, sorry…" he smiles. "I think you're funny. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"I…guess so…" I mutter, pressing the papers onto my chest and staring at the floor. Why do I feel so embarrassed all of a sudden…?

"Is something wrong?"

"…Huh? Oh…It's just…this girl…"

"Ohhh, I see…A little crush, huh?"

"Wha-No!"

Why does everyone think I have a crush on her?

"She…um…She passed away…" I explain, faking my depression so well that it scares me. "She was attacked by a Reaper."

I glance at Axel and see him with a dark expression for the first time.

"Mr. Hachi…if I'm not overstepping my boundaries, did a Reaper attack someone you know too?"

"Yes and more than once…They strike every night, after all," he sighs heavily. "Thanks to them, the city's population is plummeting…"

"Yeah, I know…"

"At this rate…this place'll be a ghost town in a year or so, what with people moving away and about five hundred citizens dying every day…"

"Wow, you…sure know a lot about them…" I say somewhat nervously.

"Oh no, I just…That was what I heard on the news."

"Right, of course."

Don't make accusations, Roxas. You barely know the guy. Do you want to get fired? Before I risk making any more careless remarks, I quickly leave the room with my assigned files.


	4. Attraction, Axel's story

Cigarette…I need a cigarette…

With a cancer stick in hand, I fumble through my desk drawer for my beloved lighter. Eight must've hidden it again. He'll do whatever it takes to make me give in to my temptation

~**_Looking for something, Redhead?_**~ I hear Eight ask mockingly.

"Where's my lighter, Eight?"

~**_Lighter? What lighter?_**~

"Please don't toy with me…"

~**_Why do you need to smoke anyway? You only do it when you need to distract yourself from you-know-what._**~

"..."

~**_I get it…You wanna eat that Roxas kid, don't you?_**~

"That's none of your concern." I search more vigorously for my lighter.

~**_You want him all to yourself…_**~

Where the hell is that damn lighter?

~**_Well, you're gonna have to fight me for that sweet, sweet blo-_**~

"Found it!" I announce rather loudly before igniting my cigarette and slowly taking in a drag. I exhale, feeling relieved and victorious for finding the strength to block out my instincts.

~**_Damn it…_**~ Eight mumbles. ~**_I almost got to you that time…_**~

"Shut up, Eight."

~**_You're saying that 'cause you know I'm right._**~ he sneers.

"No I don't…I'm not like you."

~**_Not yet, you're not…_**~


	5. The Three Bitches, Roxas's story

The files gave me seem to contain information about the underlings he told me about yesterday. They must be updated versions. I go to the file cabinet just outside of the bosses' hallway and open the middle drawer. There are nine manila folders with the managers' names written on them:

Go, Lexaeus

Hachi, Axel

Ichi, Xemnas

Juu, Luxord

Juuichi, Marluxia

Juuni, Larxene

Kyuu, Demyx

Nana, Saix

Ni, Xigbar

Roku, Zexion

San, Xaldin

Shi, Vexen

As I place the apprentices' files into their assigned folders, I watch three young women staring at me from my peripheral vision. Their creepy gazes are quite difficult to ignore, so I glance at them with a smile before continuing. In the process, I notice that they looked quite different; one is a cheerful-looking blonde, the second is a mellow brunette, and the third is an annoyed girl with silver hair.

"Ugh, he smiled at us." I hear one of them say.

"What an ugly boy." another sneers.

"Don't tell me he's Lord Hachi's new pet." the third makes another rude comment. …_Lord_ Hachi? Putting up a friendly façade, I cease my errand and stick out my hand.

"My name's Roxas. Pleased to meet you." I say with an innocent smile.

"Ewww, don't touch us!" the blonde squeals before backing away. The other two laugh snobbishly. Confused, I pull my hand back and get back to work.

"We don't like you." the silver-haired Goth states simply. I pause again.

"You don't belong here." says the brunette.

"You think you can just barge in here and take Lord Hachi away from us?" the blonde snaps.

…Again with the Lord Hachi. I shake my head while continuing to organize the files.

"No, I just needed some extra money."

"We don't care." the Goth growls.

"We want you gone." the brunette crosses her arms.

"Or we'll get rid of you ourselves." the blonde warns.

Once I finish my errand, I walk toward Axel's office as if I didn't hear them. I see them stare at me disbelievingly from the corner of my eye. Jeez, it's not like I haven't heard it all before…

greets me once I walk in. I watch him worriedly as he consumes some aspirin and grimaces.

"Wow…It's like you get headaches every time I'm around you." I mutter, instinctively backing away.

"Oh, no, that's not it!" my red-haired boss assures. "I always get them."

"But…why?"

"…Not sure…" he looks away when he answers. I decide against questioning him and take a seat behind his desk. Axel writes something down as I wait patiently for my next errand.

"So…There're these three girls who are plotting my death…" I speak up. "Should I be worried?"

"Oh, you've met Yuna, Rikku, and Paine? They're my other underlings," Axel chuckles. "They know you're their competition, so you'll sense a bit of hostility from them."

"Right…I'm supposed to earn the spot of your successor."

"Yup."

"Well, three against one doesn't sound very fair."

"Actually…They're at a disadvantage. As soon as they started working together they became inseparable. What I keep telling them, however, is that their friendship will be their downfall. Eventually, they'll have to fight each other…"

"True…"

"I know I'm being blunt when I say this, but…we're not here to make friends."

"…I understand." I nod before leaning in and lowering my voice to a whisper. "But…You shouldn't have to trade your happiness for a job."

Axel's eyes widen, almost as if he didn't know I knew about his misery. It's pretty obvious; although I've only worked here for a few days, I noticed my boss's forced cheerfulness. I can't really blame him…He has nasty headaches several times a day for a reason he refuses to tell me and he never interacts with his partners. They stay cooped up in their rooms doing God-knows-what. I can tell that he hates it here.

"It's alright…" Axel sighs before smiling weakly. "I think of this place as the lesser of two evils."

…I spend the rest of the day trying to figure out what that means.

"Hey, Roxas, look at this!" I hear an alarmed Sora call for me. I rush to the kitchen, wondering what my excitable brother could possibly want. Once I reach my destination, I see him staring at the television screen behind me while holding a forkful of spaghetti. Confused, I turn around and attempt to listen to the anchorwoman.

"_…makes the sixteenth case this month. For almost half a year people have lost their sanity shortly after the death of an acquaintance via a Reaper. The most recent victim has just been admitted into the Trelos Mental Institution. He…_"

"Wow…" Sora mutters. I turn to face him again. He's leaning back in his chair with a disbelieving countenance. "When people are not getting killed, they're going crazy…Hope we're not next."

"Don't even joke about that." I growl, earning an apology from my brunet counterpart.

The very thought that I assisted in the manslaughter brings a nasty chill down my spine. Even if it was Kairi…The three bitches I met at work today are proof that people like her will always be in my life. I basically lent a hand in the demise of our city, and for what?

"_It is still unclear what the connection between the patients and the Reaper victims is. However, the patient, who wished to remain anonymous, managed to tell us happened before the incident._"

Shortly after, the screen switches over to a recording of a man whose face is blurred. Although the image isn't clear, it's obvious that he's trembling and in a strait jacket. I can hear his quickened breath and quiet whimpering.

"_Please tell us what happened._" the reporter's voice makes the mysterious man flinch.

"_U-Um…I was…um…I was asleep…a-and I had a dream…_" his voice is disguised as well, "_There was nothing but white…I walked around…And then I saw him…_"

"_The victim?_"

The anonymous man slowly nods.

"_He…He said something…Like…Let things go…A-And I was just…so mad when he said that, I just…started imagining him dying…But…as soon as I did that…He…He was suddenly strapped to this…pole…And…I didn't know until…it was too late…the pole was…was like a lightning rod…And…H…He was electrocuted…_"

Sora gulps before nervously taking a bite out of his pasta.

"_You said it was a dream, correct?_" the reporter asks. "_Why do you think it has anything to do with the reaping? It could be a coincidence._"

"_Because it was real!_" the patient snaps, nearly jumping out of his seat. "_I could feel the heat coming from his burning flesh, smell it as it was cooking right in front of me! I was shocked when I tried to touch him! He was killed the next day, but I have to relive that hell every night now! A coincidence, my ass!_"

"_O-Okay, let's calm down…_"

I'm unable to hear the rest of the interview. Sora's unfaltering stare is distracting me.

"…What?" I ask. Sora's eyes narrow.

"A realistic dream and a reaping the next day? Roxas…didn't you…?"

"I said I didn't do anything! How could a dream have anything to do with the Reapers?"

"Well, it can't be a coincidence! It happened twice!"

"N-No! No, you gotta believe me!" I quickly think of something that would prove me innocent. "That guy said he had those dreams every day after that! I only had the dream once!"

"…B-But doesn't that mean that you don't feel guilty about what happened?" my brother asks shakily. "Don't you feel _anything_ about Kairi's death?"

"Hmph, yeah, _relieved_." I respond without thinking.

"Roxas!"

"What? I…I didn't mean it! I was just…Come on, Sora…"

Sora's expression says he's not convinced. After staring at me for a moment, he goes back to eating. Unbelievable…He thinks that I, his own flesh and blood, am a murderer. It's not true. It's not! It can't be…

The next day, I decide to pay Ms. Juuni a visit, hoping she'll answer a few questions. As soon as I open her door, I'm nearly stabbed in the face by a flying dart. The thing misses me by a few inches and nearly gives me a heart attack.

"Ack! …Goddamn it, woman, you did that on purpose!" Mr. Ni, who happens to be in the dart's path, shouts while picking up his scattered blueprints. I resist the urge to laugh as I imagine the arrow taking out his good eye.

"Shit! You made me miss, moron!" the oh-so-graceful blonde exclaims. After closing her office's door, I realize that there is a target nailed onto it.

"Why the fuck didn't you knock?" she asks rudely before pushing me out of the way. She starts pulling out the darts lodged into the board and her door.

…I thought I did, I want to say but decide against provoking unnecessary conflict.

"Ms. Juuni…Why does Mr. Hachi work here?"

"…Why ask me?"

"Well…you've been hanging out with him a lot lately, so I thought…"

"That I'm his friend? Don't be stupid." Larxene yanks out the last dart before walking a fair distance away from her target. I take that as an opportunity to move out of harm's way.

"He and I were assigned to work together by Big Boss," she explains before throwing the first arrow and hitting the bulls-eye. "This is work. We're not here to make friends."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but…I mean…That's the thing…Mr. Hachi doesn't seem to be happy here but-"

"When do you _ever_ see anyone happy at their jobs? Get to the point, moron."

"It's worse for him, though! Why won't he just quit?"

"There you go. Damn, I hate when people beat around the bush," Larxene aims while speaking. She shoots again and makes another bulls-eye. "He's here because we accept him, despite his flaws."

"Meaning…?"

"…Axel has this certain…trait…that we all share. This trait would kick him out of any other workplace…hell, get him arrested if discovered. We happen to relate to him so…here he is."

Lesser of two evils…

"And that trait is addiction, right?"

"…You're close…We actually use our addictions to distract ourselves from something…darker. Axel smokes, Luxord gambles, Xaldin collects swords…You get the idea," she sighs. "But you're right…Axel's got it way worse. We don't get headaches."

"So this…thing that's darker…What is it?"

"Can't tell you."

Wow, is it _that_ bad?


	6. Roxas's Blood, Axel's story

_**"So, Eight…I heard you have a crush on the new underling."**_

_**Twelve's words make me nearly crack my whetstone in half. Why must that woman spout nonsense while I'm sharpening my scythe? Twelve and I are forced to work together tonight. The others have already left. It's only been about ten minutes and she's already driving me up a wall.**_

_**"A crush, you say…?" I reply, my eye twitching. "You know I dislike affection."**_

_**"Oh? You seem pretty attached to him."**_

_**I must admit, she has a point. Every time he was near Axel, I tried my damnedest to free myself. I've never lost control this frequently before. That boy's blood…I'll do anything to have a taste…**_

_**"You don't understand…" I smile darkly. "That Roxas kid's rare. He knows he caused the death of his classmate, yet he shows no remorse…"**_

_**"Wow, he's heartless…" Twelve sounds impressed. "He's pretty bright too…Axel's interns never showed any concern for the origin of his headaches till Roxas showed up."**_

_**"Yes…It's almost as if he knows I exist. And…Ohhh, his blood…Have you smelled it?"**_

_**"Not yet. Why?"**_

_**"It's amazing…Incredible…It's a mixture of such intense emotions…If only I could get to him, I'd…" my voice trails off as I bite my lower lip. Twelve watches, intrigued.**_

_**"Sounds delectable. Can I have some?"**_

_**"No. He's mine. Besides, aren't you on a diet or something, fatty?"**_

_**"Ugh, don't remind me…" she groans."I'd love to taste Sadness again…I'd even settle for Fear…Hmph, you're just being selfish, Eight."**_

_**"Do I detect envy?"**_

_**"Envy? Um, whose target made today's news? Oh, that's right, mine."**_

_**"Shut up. Come on, we're behind schedule." I blow away the debris on my scythe's blade before slipping on my hood and heading out with Twelve.**_

_**…**_

_**Tonight, my first target is on patrol. I take a look at my list.**_

_**"Squall Leonhart..." I mutter. Suddenly, an image of the young man enters my mind. Long brown hair, serious sea-blue eyes with a long scar between them, and bullet wounds here and there…His history is filled with sickeningly-good deeds. Why would someone target him?**_

_**My question is immediately answered when I read my client's description. My lips curl to a sinister, nostalgic smile. Oh, the irony…**_

_**I find his police car parked near a highway hidden beneath a billboard. He's fast asleep with the radio turned down. Hmph…He's risking other people's lives for a few minutes of shut-eye? Too bad…I was expecting a challenge from a police officer. I prepare my scythe as I inch my way to my target. I open the driver's door and press the blade onto Alexander's neck.**_

_**BLAM!**_

_**Ah…The man was expecting me…**_

_**"Tch…" I glare at him. "Why'd you have to put a hole in my coat…?"**_

_**The officer's eyes widen before he shoots me again with his concealed handgun. Still no response from me. My glowing red eyes meet his as his fear becomes increasingly evident. He eventually empties his magazine. I yawn, waiting for him to try something else. I can hear his gun fall onto the ground between myself and the car.**_

_**"Well, that was boring…" I sigh, disappointed. "Let's get down to business, I guess."**_

_**I see him prepare to call for help, so I press the blade closer to his neck in order to shut him up.**_

_**"Unless you want to be a hypocrite and cause the deaths of your beloved citizens, I suggest you keep it down…" I whisper. "Now…Squall Leonhart, twenty-two years old. Someone who shall remain anonymous is mad at you because you failed to bring…well…me into custody for the death of his daughter."**_

_**"W-Who? I-I've been busy for the past few weeks."**_

_**"Can't say," I state. "It's not like it matters anyway, since you're going to die."**_

_**"I guess…I deserve this…" are his last words before I slice his head off.**_

_**"At least you're man enough to admit it." I compliment him as his blood spurts from his decapitated body and hits the ceiling, dashboard, and steering wheel. His dripping head is stuffed into my trophy bag. I slide my fingers across the driver seat's headrest and take a sample of his blood. After tasting the liquid, I groan exasperatingly. Sadness again. The same damn flavor again.**_

_**Roxas invades my thoughts for the umpteenth time tonight. I want him. No, I need him. No one else's blood will satisfy me anymore. It's driving me insane…**_

_**"I need to make that Roxas kid work overtime…without Redhead knowing, of course." I conclude before moving to my next target's location.**_


	7. The Contract, Roxas's story

"Mr. Juusan."

…_Really_? Just when I was about to leave…After forcing a smile, I turn to see the person calling me. It's an unfamiliar Goth around my age. His dark hair partially covers his face and expression is difficult to read.

"Yes?"

"My name is Zexion Roku. I was ordered by Big Boss to give you this before you leave for the day."

He's pretty mature for his age. He hands me a few sheets of paper.

"What's this for?"

"It's a contract," Zexion says. "You see…we need to ensure your ability to keep our company's secrets."

"So…I'm one of you guys now?"

"Oh no, not yet. This is merely a precaution. Now, I strongly encourage you to read this contract to the letter before signing it."

I nod as I pretend to look over the document. It's just basic work regulations. Dress formally, respect your employees, yadda, yadda, yadda… I sign on whatever line I see and write any information it asks for before giving it back to Zexion.

"That was fast…" he cocks an eyebrow. "Did you read it?"

"…Sorta…"

"Mr. Juusan, you fail to understand the importance of that contract. Its word is bond. If you don't follow the regulations, then-"

"I know, I know, I got it." I wave him away before leaving the workplace.

…

As I exit the building, I habitually readjust my necktie and begin my walk home. I walk slowly this time; I'm definitely not looking forward to Sora's cold shoulder treatment. He doesn't trust a word I say so I gave up. As long as he doesn't tell our parents or anyone at school, I won't complain much.

On my usual route, I see a disturbingly-familiar sight. There's someone around my height with a Reaper coat on and the hood covering his/her face. I decide to turn the other cheek and continue walking before the person notices me staring.

"Oh! You work at The Renovation Corp, right?" the strange person, who sounds like a girl, asks. I take a look around. There's no one else near us, so I acknowledge her question.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm Axel's fifth underling!" she announces before approaching me, grabbing my hand and shaking it vigorously. "He told you about me, right?"

"Er…Yeah…" I respond before checking to see if my hand is broken. The girl unveils her hood to reveal her pretty face. She has unkempt black hair and big, amiable blue eyes. She looks and sounds friendly, but her outfit…

"Awesomeness, you're gonna be my competition starting tomorrow! I heard you're really tough, but we should still, like, get along, okay?"

"Um...Yeah, sure!" I nod, glad that there's an intern my age. I'll still heed Larxene and Axel's warning not to make friends, but it wouldn't hurt to be nice. "But…um, if you don't mind me asking, what's with the…?"

"Oh, the coat?" she giggles. "They're my gods, silly! Hail the Reapers!"


	8. Xion's Dark Side, Axel's story

"Mr. Hachi…Have you heard of the Residual Organization?"  
>"Hmm?"<p>

Roxas's words don't process in my head until a few seconds later. As a result, I inhale my cigarette smoke too quickly and start coughing violently. My intern rushes to me and pats my back until I regain the ability to breathe.

"The...Residual…? No, it doesn't ring a bell. Why?" I hate lying to my favorite underling, but it's best that he doesn't know what goes on behind the scenes. Roxas raises an eyebrow before staring at me intently.

"You nearly died when I mentioned it…You sure?"

"W-Well, you caught me off-guard...You were quiet until now."

"Oh…Right…Sorry." he forces a smile. Poor kid…He knows something's up, but he'll have to stay in the dark for now.

Someone knocks on my office's door.

"Lord Haaaaachiiii, it's us!" Rikku announces in a sing-songy voice. I sigh heavily before shouting "It's open!". The door is nearly knocked off of its hinges before someone is shoved into the room. The push was strong enough to force the stranger off balance and land face-flat on the floor. Behind her, my other three underlings are standing with their arms crossed. It's pretty clear that Paine is the one who assaulted the downed girl.

"Oops." the silver-haired Goth plainly states. Rikku and Yuna are glaring fiercely at Roxas, who is still standing behind me with his hand on my back.

"What are you doing to Lord Hachi?" Rikku growls. "He doesn't swing that way!"

I'm accustomed to the girls' hostility toward newcomers so nothing they've done so far surprises me. Understandably, Roxas swiftly moves away from me.

"Neither do I!" he snaps before rushing to the girl rising from the floor. "Are you okay?"

The girl takes Roxas's extended hand and steadies herself. She marches to Yuna, who instinctively backs away.

"Give. It. Back." the girl says darkly.

"What are you talking about?" the brunette asks innocently.

"My coat! Give it back!" she lunges at the intern and grabs her arm.

"Ah! Don't touch me, you freak!" Yuna tries to shake her off but the black-haired girl is too persistent. Paine and Rikku charge at her, so I decide to take action before things get ugly.

"Give her back her coat." I try to look and sound as boss-like as possible.

"B…But Lord Hachi…"

"It's not allowed here. If you'd only take a look at i-" Paine tries to reason with me but I won't hear of it.

"_Now_, Yuna."

"…Fine!" she exclaims before ramming the coat into the black-haired girl's chest and walking off. I can barely see her tearful expression as her friends follow her shortly after.


	9. The Reapers' Worshiper, Roxas's story

Those three bitches had the nerve to bully _my_ friend? Who the hell do they think they are?

"I'm so sorry about that," Mr. Hachi states before standing. "You must be Xion, the new intern. That wasn't the greatest first impression of our company, but I assure you we're friendly people…somewhat."

Xion's expression softens a bit as she slips on her black Reaper coat. I notice Axel's eyes widen slightly once she does.

"Yeah, well, those girls need to learn a thing or two…from…" Xion's voice trails off. I look at her. She's gazing at Mr. Hachi closely before smiling broadly.

"You're a Reaper, aren't ya?" she gleams. Shocked, I quickly turn to my boss. He retains his poker face.

"What's with all the accusations today…?" he murmurs sadly.

"Nononono, it's not a bad thing, Mr. Hachi, sir!" Xion assures excitedly. "It's just that…you and Roxy over there remind me of something…How did it go again…? Um…Oh, gosh, I'm getting excited! Lemme think…"

She closes her eyes as she attempts to recall…whatever it is she's talking about.

Did she call me Roxy?

"Um, Xion…I don't think I-"

"_The man who is immortal by night with spiked hair of blood shall find the one who will make his brethren prosper. It will be a boy with hair of gold and soul corrupt_…or something like that."

"Hm…That describes us a little, but…" Axel shakes his head, "I wouldn't hurt a fly."

"…What is it?" I ask, giving up on the "Roxy" issue.

"It's, like, a prophecy," Xion says proudly. "Those who worship the Reapers know about it."

"You…worship them?" Axel wonders disbelievingly.

"Of course!" the girl nods fervently. "A lot of people do! The Reapers exact revenge for those who are wronged! They're our saviors!"

"But they're not us."

"…Right…Of course…I made a mistake…" Xion looks down shamefully. "Sorry…"

"It's okay…but I prefer you didn't talk about the Reapers during your shift."

"Yes, sir! Won't happen again, I promise!"

...

"Pst…Xion…" I whisper as she and I have our fifteen-minute break. Yuna, Rikku, and Paine are sitting as far away from us as possible. Hmph, fine by me.

"'Sup, Roxy?" the girl acknowledges me before taking a bite out of her paopu fruit. She finally has her hood off after a few awkward hours of working with her in complete silence. She has such a pretty face. It's a shame that she hides it…

"You mind answering a few questions about the Reapers?"

"Um, I don't wanna get in trouble again. If those girls hear us, they'd rat us out for sure," she pouts. "It's like this place hates my gods…It sucks, dude."

"They're not paying any attention to us. Please?"

"Well…If you wanna risk it, who am I to complain? What do you want to know?"

"Is the Residual Organization the only group that exists?"

"Not even close. There're, like, groups of Reapers all over the world world."

"Whoa…"

So the website _was_ local.

"And…how many are in a group?" I ask. Xion thinks about her response for a moment.

"Depends. Some have about ten while others have only three. Like, there's this one group called Death By Poison. It only has three people, and they're total badasses, dude."

"Yeah? How many people are in the Organization?"

"Twelve. If the prophecy comes true, thirteen," she takes another bite out of her snack. "Why so interested, dude? Thought you didn't like 'em."

"Well…I…I asked for their help once…because of this girl…"

"Ohhh, I see. You had those nightmares yet?"

"Yup."

"Ah, yeah…They were mentioned on the news yesterday, weren't they? Took 'em long enough."

"You sure know a lot about this…"

"I asked for their help once. Had a nasty dream, but it was a small price to pay for the gods to open my eyes. This world is full of filth and must be cleansed. The normal, everyday citizen can lend a hand in the world's renewal."

Is she serious? If everyone's petty grudges caused the death of a person, the human race would cease to exist. I don't want to say my new friend's beliefs are wrong, but…

Xion finishes her snack and stands.

"I'm glad we had this talk, Roxy. Want me to wait for ya?"

"Nah, I'm good. Go on ahead."

"Awesome. See ya, pal!" she says enthusiastically before putting on her hood and walking away. As she strolls past the three bitches, I see her barely-visible mouth curl into a sinister grin.


	10. Saix's Warning, Axel's story

"Axel."

My head snaps up from my paperwork when I hear the monotonous voice of my superior, Saix. Strange. He never visits…

"Yes, sir?"

"Have you given Roxas the contract?"

"Yes. He returned it the same day."

"Hm."

I'm used to Saix's soft-spoken, short responses. He's an extremely serious person. It's no surprise since he takes after Big Boss.

"Are you sure about this one?" he asks. "It's only been two weeks."

"He seems trustworthy."

"Your decision isn't being influenced by Eight's desire for her, is it?" my boss's eyes narrow.

"…Oh…" I focus my attention on my desk in order to avoid Saix's fearsome stare. "You've heard about that?"

"How couldn't I? He's misbehaving more often than usual."

"Right, but…"

"The contract's words…You remember them, don't you?" Saix walks to my desk and plants his hands on it. He looks at me until I'm unable to avoid eye-contact.

"…Yes…" I mutter.

"And they are…?"

"If one were to discover the Renovation Corp's darkest secret, they're not allowed to leave."

"And…?"

"…And…And if they do…Their family will automatically…become targets…"


	11. The Truth About Kairi, Roxas's story

The lunch bell rings. Students who didn't bring their lunches are sprinting to the cafeteria, their minds set on getting in line first. I have so much on my mind that I was almost trampled by the crowd and initially didn't notice. Sora yanks me out of the way before it happens.

"Lil' bro, what's wrong? You're totally out of it today." my brother talks to me for the first time in days. I look at him blankly. I take a deep breath, preparing to tell him about the Hell I went through. Before I can speak, however, Namine rushes to us. Namine…Kairi's best friend…

"Ro…xas…" she says between breaths while doubled over. "Someone's…here…to see you…"

"Who?" I ask before my question is immediately answered. I see Axel approaching school grounds with a few sheets of paper. He's smiling timidly at me as he ignores the female students' ogling and male students' dumbfounded staring.

"_Him_." Namine, who somehow regained her composure, says dreamily while looking at Mr. Hachi.

"Isn't that your boss?" Sora says. He's acting as if he never disregarded me for three days straight…No apology or anything…Damn, he's as cold as me…

"Crap…I must've left that at the Corp yesterday." I suddenly realize the man is holding some of my homework. He hands it to me and I thank him before he leaves. Namine and Sora wait until he's out of sight to grab me and pull me by each arm toward a side of the school. The students continue to pour out but are unable to see us.

"He's so cute…Kairi would've liked him…" Namine says before suddenly looking depressed again. "Well…it wouldn't have mattered anyway…"

"Yeah…Someone's boss doesn't just waltz to their school just to give them homework." my brother agrees.

I stare at them questioningly.

"_Kairi _wouldn't try to score? Quit pulling my leg…" I laugh.

"…You're not serious." Sora states disbelievingly.

"I…What?"

"I mean…wait…you really didn't know? It's not like she was hiding it. You should know more than anybody…"

"Know what?"

"Does he have to spell it out for you?" Namine growls with melancholy and frustrated expression. "Kairi liked you, okay, dipshit?"

I gaze at her, speechless. Kairi liked me…? So…wait…All those things she did…All those times she tried to ruin my life…They were because of a crush she had? But why? I don't exactly stick out…

"No…No way…You're lying…" I mumble.

"Why the hell would I lie about my best friend? What, to make her look good?" Namine's anger becomes more evident as she clenches her hands and tries to hold back tears. "I don't have to! Everyone liked her! Everyone except you, and for some reason I'll never figure out, she wanted to be with you!"

"Th-Then…"

I…killed her for no reason…

"Then…she should've spoken up." I say before quickly entering the school. I can feel Namine's eyes burning the back of my skull as Sora quickly follows.

"Roxas…" my brunet counterpart speaks up. "You…did do it…didn't you…?"

"Not directly…"

"Doesn't matter."

"I know…Hate me all you want, but…what's done is done. I can't change it."

"B-But…Don't you feel bad? At least…a little?"

"…No."

I genuinely don't and it scares me.

...

During lunch, I notice Namine speaking to the other students while pointing and glaring at me. My classmates soon follow suit. She's probably saying something along the lines of "Even after I told him about her crush he didn't care" blahblah "He's such a jerk" blahblahblah… Fine. Turn everyone against me. I'm used to being despised for stupid reasons.

"Roxas, what's that under the homework Axel gave you?" Sora asks. He decided against hating me since I'm his family, but I definitely sense a bit of hostility from him. Confused, I pick up the sheets of paper and an envelope falls out of the pile. It's addressed to me. I tear it open before taking out a small letter. It reads:

Roxas Juusan:

I know this is on short notice, but I need you to work overtime tomorrow. I have an unusual amount of work to look forward to and I require your assistance.

Axel Hachi

"Ah, I knew there was a catch…" I groan. Like Sora said, no normal boss would be nice enough to just drop off my homework without making me repay the debt. Well…at least I get to spend some time with Xion…and the other three…Meh, I'll just ignore them. They're not worth the energy.


	12. Losing Control, Axel's story

**_~That's pretty heartless of you…Leading Roxas on like that so you could strike while his guard's down…_**~ Eight tells me as I approach my workplace. I feel a throbbing headache as he speaks, so I take some aspirin out of my glove compartment and consume it.

"Shut up, Eight. It's not like that," I assure, attempting to ignore the pain. "I just felt bad that he left his work here, so…"

~**_Enough of your lies! Just admit that you miss drinking blood! Come oooon, Redhead! Come back to the dark side!_**~

"I…I don't miss it!" I take out my cigarettes while the glove compartment is still open.

~**_Is that soooo?_**~ he asks in a suspiciously-mischievous tone. ~**_Well, I'll gladly put that to the test. You left your lighter at his school!_**~

I didn't leave my…

…Where is it? It's not in my pockets…I check my cup holders. It's not there either. It's not on the dashboard or in the glove compartment….I'm not sitting on it…Oh God, I really left it!

"Damn it, Eight, why didn't you say something?" I snap.

~**_Don't bitch at me! It's not my fault your clumsy ass left it!_**~

This is bad…Really, really bad…

"…What's that smell…?" I mutter. The scent is delightful…Nostalgic…and strong…What is it…?

~**_Blood, my friend._**~

…

Before I lose complete control, I floor it back to the school. I could easily get a cheap lighter from a convenience store, but my lighter morphs into Eight's scythe. Leaving it alone may cause trouble. The Renovation Corp isn't too far from there, but I don't have much time until-

"Urgh!" I groan as my headaches become unbearably painful. I try to watch the road, but the agony is great enough to blur my vision. I can feel my car swerve as nearby drivers honk their horns.

"Eight…! No…Stop!" I beg as I begin to lose consciousness.

~**_That kid…is mine!_**~ he shouts before he takes a stab at freeing himself again.

"Aaaargh!" My eyes shut for a few seconds as I pray for the throbs to subside. No more…Please…Knowing I can no longer focus on driving, I pull over. My head falls onto my hands as Eight continues to attack me.

"No…! Stop…it…I…beg you…"

~**_Not until I have a taste. Don't worry…It won't be long._**~

It's getting dark…


	13. This Isn't Axel, Roxas's story

On my way to work, I see a sloppily-parked car with who looks like Axel inside. It's facing the opposite direction from The Renovation Corp. Okay, so the lighter I picked up _was_ his.

"Hey, Mr. Hachi! Look what I found!" I say proudly while dangling the lighter in front of the driver's side's window. Axel lowers the glass and slowly turns to face me. He's sporting a somewhat disturbing smile and his eyes are red. I instinctively back away before the man looks at me inquisitively.

"What's wrong, Roxas?" he asks. He _sounds_ different too…Something's off…

"Um…Nothing…Are you alright?"

"Oh, it's these fucking headaches. Don't worry…" he assures before snatching his possession away. I raise an eyebrow. I've never heard him curse before…

"Say…you want a ride to work?" the strange-sounding Axel invites me into his car. I'm a little too freaked out to accept the offer.

"N-No thanks…I need the exercise." I say before speed-walking away. From a distance, I hear Axel curse again…It almost sounds like a very familiar voice.


	14. Uncaring, Axel's story

_**"Hm, my driving's improving."**_

_**I give myself a pat on the back. After going in circles about twenty times, I only caused some property damage and the mental scars of wandering children I almost ran over. I walk into The Renovation Corp and search for Axel's office. This place looks pretty different during the day…**_

_**"…and red eyes…Should I do somethi-"I hear that Roxass kid's voice. So he made it here before me…Perfect. I walk faster toward Redhead's office. Suddenly I see five of Axel's partners marching toward me until they grab me and move further away from Roxas.**_

_**"Wh-What're you doing? Let go of me!" I shout but am completely ignored. They drag me back to the entrance and block any ways of escape. As soon as I take out Axel's lighter, Twelve…er, Larxene grabs it.**_

_**"Ah-ah-ah! No scythe for you, asshole." she sneers. Saix and Luxord are standing in front of me as Xigbar and Xaldin grab my arms, rendering me inactive. I smile dejectedly at Saix's dull countenance.**_

_**"Eight, I will only tell you this once. Free Axel now." the blue-haired boss says.**_

_**"What if I don't?"**_

_**"We're obliged to dispose of you, of course." the blond gambler explains, sighing.**_

_**"You're bluffing."**_

_**"No way," says the pirate. "We can always find a replacement."**_

_**"Please cooperate with us while we're still being merciful." Xaldin states darkly. I gulp. That's right…They have better control of their other halves and can sic them on me at any time…**_

_**"F-Fine! Fine, I'll go back to sleep!" I give up, knowing that they're serious. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Alright, Redhead…Get your lazy ass up…**_


	15. My Fate, Roxas's story

What the hell is going on? I want to know. I refuse to stay in Axel's office while the "grown-ups" are talking. I deserve to know the secrets of this company as much as the others! That's what the contract was for, so there! Satisfied with my conclusion, I press my ear against the door. I can barely hear my bosses speaking.

"I…I don't know what came over me…I didn't have my lighter for, what, half an hour? This never happened before…" Axel says shakily.

"It's Roxas. I told you he was bad news." Mr. Nana says plainly.

"It may be mandatory to dismiss the boy." Mr. Juu adds.

"Aw, really? I was starting to warm up to the little prick…" Ms. Juuni pouts.

"But…But he's my favorite underling! I can't just…I mean, he's…um…" Axel's voice trails off.

"Axel, the feelings you have for the boy are not genuine," Mr. Nana explains. "You're being brainwashed by Eight's obsession with his blood."

Blood…?

"Yes, precisely, so it would be in…well, everyone's finest interest to fire him." Mr. Juu assures.

"Not mine, though…" Axel's obstinacy is clearly annoying his partners. Everyone else groans exasperatingly. I smile weakly. Wow…Axel really won't give up on me…But…that comment about my blood…

"Look, we're behind schedule. We'll discuss this with the others later, understand?" Saix announces. The others nod. "And Axel, keep Eight in check. I'm not sure how many times we'll be able to help you in the future."

I hear footsteps. I assume Mr. Nana just left. What did he mean by that? Eight's what Axel names his headaches…but I get the feeling he's a person…And what's his connection with my blood?

I guess I'll have to confront Axel about it when I work overtime…


	16. The War, Ventus's story

I pull back the head of the seated rotting, wide-eyed corpse. Its mouth opens in the process, emitting a foul stench. I look away, resisting the powerful urge to heave.

"You okay, Ven?" the soothing voice of my partner, Aqua, eases my obvious troubles. Not wanting to worry her, I nod before smiling.

"You can tell us if you want to stop, you know…" she informs me. I quickly shake my head.

"It's alright. I don't want to be left out."

"Okay…" Aqua doesn't sound too convinced, so I keep up my cheerful façade long enough for her to stop fretting and continue working. I gag before I take out my knife and tightening my grip on the dead man's head. I unintentionally press the blade against the man's neck hard enough to cause bleeding. Trickles of the dark liquid jumps onto my hand and, like the coward I am, I back away.

"See? I told you he wasn't ready yet!" Aqua snaps at my other parental figure, Terra. The brown-haired, bulky young man looks at my fearful gaze before laughing.

"Oh, stop babying him, Aqua! Look, he's fine!"

I'm surprised I was able to fool him with my forced smile. After gulping and talking a few uneasy breaths, I force the knife further into my assigned corpse's neck. The blood sprays onto my clothes and mask. I'm close to fainting but I quickly regain what's left of my composure and cut off his head in one fell swoop. Gore spurts out of the opening but I dodge it this time. Frozen and scared out of my mind, I clench onto the hair attached to the young man's body part without showing signs of letting go.

"Alright! Great job, Ven!" Terra gleams, patting me on the back. I can barely hear him as I stare at the defamation I caused.

"What's wrong?" my blue-haired female friend asks while shaking me back to consciousness. "Oh…Is the smell bothering you? Sorry…It's a side-effect of the poison."

"Uh…Uh-huh…" I respond shakily. "Um…Why do we use poison, anyway?"

"Because it's in our group's name," Terra chuckles before Aqua glares at him.

"Well…" Aqua smiles dejectedly. "We have to make up for our low number. It would take us forever to do the equivalent of twelve people, so…"

"We lure our targets into one place and ambush them there." Terra finishes. I nod understandingly, my eyes not wavering from the rotting pile of flesh.

"H…Have you guys ever met other members?" I ask.

"Well, for starters, you're holding a Reaper's head right now."

"O-Oh my God…" I drop the body part. "These guys a-are Reapers?"

"We have to get rid of them before they dispose of us," Aqua explains. "The smaller groups are in danger. We must act quickly."

"There was another trio whose reapings were…pretty brutal," Terra chuckles. "I met two of them by chance a looong time ago…They didn't know anything about the Reapers back then."

"Oh, but they retired recently…Just couldn't handle the guilt of taking another life, I suppose…" Aqua shrugs. "To think…they're still so young…"


	17. Overtime, Roxas and Axel's story

"Roxas? Why're you still here?" Mr. Hachi exclaims in a panicky voice. I see him swiftly close one of his desk drawers.

"Huh…?"

What's Axel's problem? I thought he told me I had to work overtime.

"Oh, um…I was talking to Xion in the lobby and I lost track of time…Why, what's wrong?"

"N-N-No…No, you can't stay here! You have to leave!" the red-haired man rushes to me, grabs me by the shoulders, and tries to push me out of the room. I look up to observe his face; his gaze is fixated on the window adjacent to us, which is displaying a disappearing sunset.

"Wha-Why?" I don't understand…Why is he so desperate to get rid of me?

"Crap…I'm out of time…" Axel mutters sullenly, stopping just in front of the door. He tightens his grip on my shoulders before groaning achingly.

"Eight…Not…now…" he growls before grimacing again. I stare at him as his pain becomes severe enough to affect his balance. Before he collapses, I quickly place his arm on my shoulders and support him as much as a boy half his size can.

"Come on, Mr. Hachi, hang in there."

"…Leave…Please…" he begs between breaths.

"No, not until I get some answers," I say. "I want to help you…Whatever's bothering you…it has something to do with me, right?"

"Roxas…How did you…? Ngh!"

~**_You can't fight it, ya damn goody-goody! Let me out!_**~

That voice…Now that I'm close enough to Axel, the grumbling noise is clearer. And it sounds familiar…

The sun sets and Axel suddenly becomes quiet.

"…Mr. Hachi?"

"Wrong again, intern."

I'm suddenly forced onto my stomach as Axel pushes something sharp onto my neck. He pins me down with his own body. I can't move. Is it because of this…stranger, or am I completely frozen from fear?

"…You're Eight, aren't you…?" I ask rather shakily. "The guy who wants my blood?"

The man smirks.

"Maybe…Are you afraid?"

"…A little…" I chuckle in order to ease the sorrowful feeling dwelling in my heart. Am I going to die? I guess I deserve it…I caused so much pain…This could be my redemption.

"Eight, it's time to go." a monotonous voice similar to my pink-haired boss, Mr. Juuichi, says from just outside the room. I hear Eight groan frustratingly before getting off of me. Even though I no longer feel his weight, I'm still unable to budge.

"Great timing, Eleven…" he grumbles. I slowly, cautiously turn head and take a good look at my attacker's face. Like before, his eyes are glowing red and he's wearing a ghastly expression.

"Stay here," he says threateningly before opening one of Axel's desk drawers and pulling out some unclear supplies. "Don't bother trying to escape. I _will_find you."

With that, he exits the room. Huh…It was a bit pointless to tell me not to move...

…

_**Every damn time I'm assigned with Eleven the atmosphere is extremely awkward. The man and I barely exchange words and he always looks at me like he's plotting my death. The hell's his damage?**_

_**"So…Eleven…" I say when the silence becomes a little too unbearable. "You like flowers, huh?"**_

_**No response.**_

_**"…Or…not."**_

_**"Big Boss doesn't want Roxas around you anymore. He will reassign him tomorrow afternoon."**_

_**"What?"**_

_**Oh, and whenever we doconverse, he always delivers bad news.**_

_**Damn that Xemnas! He's never satisfied until I'm miserable.**_

_**"Aw, come on! I didn't do anything bad yet!"**_

_**"Yes. Not yet. We cannot risk letting Axel succumb to you. He's already weak without your interference."**_

_**"Hmph, all the more reason to let it happen."**_

_**"Hardly."**_

_**"Damn it, why am I stuck with you?" I grumble before looking at my list of to-be victims. Eleven leaves for his first assignment as soon as I do. Good riddance, you stupid killjoy…**_

_**"Alright, who's the first to go…?" I mumble. "Crap, kids again. …Ohhh…"**_

_**I know her…Looks like Axel will need new underlings.**_

_**…**_

_**That Roxs kid…He nearly pissed himself when I teased him. Even so, he didn't run off no matter how many trips I made. He's pretty hardcore. Either that or stupid. As the sun begins to rise, I walk into Axel's office after taking off my coat and changing my blood-ridden scythe back to its original form. My jaw nearly drops to the floor. The office is absolutely spotless!**_

_**"Whoa…" I mutter, scaring Roxas. He almost drops an expensive-looking ashtray.**_

_**"Man…" he sighs in relief before mumbling, "I wonder if Axel would've deducted that from my pay…" he glares at me. "Don't do that."**_

_**"Heh, my bad. It's just…Whoa," I say again while inspecting the area. "You're an awesome secretary, Blondie."**_

_**"Whatever..."**_

_**I lug my last bag of trophies to a secret compartment in the back. My free hand slides across the wall until I find the concealed button. I press it and a door as tall as the room pops open. A cloud of cool mist emits from the opening.**_

_**"No matter how much I cleaned, I couldn't get rid of this awful smell…" I hear the kid say as I throw my bag of trophies into the secret room. "It might be that stuff you put in that room every time you come back."**_

_**"Really? I don't smell anything." I say. Of course there's a stench lingering in the air but I've grown accustomed to it. This fridge isn't gonna keep my heads fresh forever. It never feels right when I throw them away, though…Maybe I should stuff them…**_

_**"I bet you're hiding a dead body in there…" he growls.**_

_**"Noooo, I would never do that!" lying isn't really my forte, so I avert my eyes. "Don't you have school in the morning or somethin'?"**_

_**"You're right…I gotta go."**_

_**I watch as Blondie finishes his current errand and grabs what looks like his homework. He pauses at the office's door.**_

_**"By the way…"**_

_**"Hm?"**_

_**"Do...Do you still want my blood...?" he asks as he opens the entrance. Without warning, I ambush Blondie again. I stand between him and the door and force it shut. He attempts to back away but I grab him by his shirt before he can. I stare intently into the poor boy's eyes. He's trembling but my gaze doesn't intimidate him enough for his eyes to lower.**_

_**"You have no idea…" I whisper suavely before letting go and moving out of the way. Blondie exhales a long-held breath as he glares at me. He leaves as soon as he's given the chance. I feel a sudden pleasurable chill. That hateful stare…It has the opposite effect, intern…**_


	18. The Clone, Roxas's story

"…xas…Roxas…Mr. Juusan!"

"Huh…?"

"Oh, how nice of you to join us."

My classmates laugh as I stare confusingly at my English teacher. Sora pokes me until I give him my attention.

"He asked you how many parts of speech there are."

I can still hear an antagonistic tone in my brother's voice. My teacher must be referring to the homework I failed to complete.

"Uh…Iunno, eight?" I say the first word that pops into my head.

…Okay, that's a little scary.

"Hmm, you're right," my teacher doesn't sound too happy. "The eight parts of speech are nouns, verbs, pronouns..."

I zone out as soon as my teacher continues his lecture. Eight…That horrible man is Axel's "darker trait", as Ms. Juuni described it. He's totally different from his counterpart. How are he and my boss connected, though? And my blood…Why does he want it so badly? I _have_ to know…It's imperative that see him again.

After school, I try unsuccessfully to think of a reason why I would want to stay at The Renovation Corp longer than usual. If I tell Axel the truth, he probably wouldn't listen and kick me out. Hmm…Maybe I should sneak in…

On my way to work, I glance at a small group of people that consists of an arguing couple (well, more like the woman is yelling at the defeated-looking man) and a younger blond boy. I continue walking a few more steps until I become stock-still. I look again. That boy…It's like staring at a mirror. Within moments he imitates my movements and becomes as shocked as me. Before we could confront each other, however, the boy's parents return and force him to walk again.

One freaky encounter after another…


	19. Eight's Feelings, Axel's story

"You heartless bastard…" I growl. After spending all morning trying to find clues that either confirm or deny Eight's attacking Roxas, I found out that I'm no longer the boy's primary boss.

~**_Ooh, language, Redhead! Jeez, it's not my fault!_**~

"It's _completely _your fault! You've been trying to get to him since day one! You even forged a letter and put him in danger! Is her blood really that damn important?"

~**_Oh, quit your whining! I didn't do anything to him!_**~

"Y…You didn't?"

~**_The brat's fine, I just scared him a little! Don't worry, you still have a chance to beat me to him!_**~

My cheeks suddenly turn pink when Eight teases me again. I shake the feelings away. They're not real! Remember what Saix told you…

"S-So he didn't find out anything…?"

~Nope. Secret's still safe. He prolly thinks you're a total nut, though…~

"Oh."

Figures.

~**_Since you're acting so pissy, I'll tell you some good news._**~

I'm a little iffy about hearing Eight's version of "good news", but I remain silent.

~**_You know those three clones you hired? Weeell…one of them was my target yesterday. Yuna, I think._**~

"What? Who reported…?"

Wait…I know who did it.

~**_Wait, wait, lemme finish! Turns she's a member of another group of Reapers! She invaded the Corp with hopes of taking you guys down one by one, but…well…she met you and put her mission on hold._**~

"How did you find out?"

~**_She managed to hurt me._**~

"Ah. Well…Now I need two new interns…Thanks a lot."

~Don't be such a downer! Change is good!~

"Uh-huh…I can't believe Roxas won't work for me anymore…I was really starting to like him."

~I bet you were, pedo…~

"N-Not like that!"

~**_Suuuure, Redhead._**~

"What about you? You didn't hurt him or anything last night?"

~**_What, did I stutter? I said no._**~

"But…why? Surely you had the chance to…"

~**_Meh, I didn't wanna get in trouble with your posse again._**~

That doesn't sound very convincing. Did a mortal boy really become the cold, homicidal man's weakness?


	20. My Brother's Past, Roxas's story

Axel said he had to relocate me… I have to admit, I'm a bit hurt. I suppose it's better than getting fired… Besides…working for Big Boss might not be so bad…I've never seen him before, but everyone in the company seems to respect him. …Maybe my reassigning will get me off of Axel's overprotective radar long enough for me to investigate.

While preparing to sneak into the Corp, I grab a small, empty jar, a knife, and a first-aid kit. Since I barely know him, I don't trust Eight to collect my blood on his own. I go into the bathroom and, after taking a few preparatory breaths, quickly cut the palm of my hand and place it over the empty jar. I squeeze my hand in order to fill up the jar faster. If I give Eight what he wants, maybe he'll retaliate by telling me what happens at the Corp after my shift ends.

"Roxas, what the hell are you doing?" Sora, who is home earlier than expected, sprints to me and grabs my arm. I snatch it away and glare at him.

"It's none of your business, alright?"

"Yes it is! My little brother's cutting himself!" he stops me again. Damn it, you're only three minutes older than me! "I-Is it because of what's been happening lately? Oh my God…I've been so mean to you all this time when I should've been supporting you! I'm so sorry…" he grabs me and pulls me to his chest, giving me a rather-awkward hug.

What's with the sudden affection? He's taking things completely the wrong way, and he's babying me again!

"U-Uh…All right…Dude…Can't breathe…" I struggle to say. Sora apologizes profusely while letting go. "Alright, alright, I forgive you!"

"…Okay…" the brunet nods before the doorbell rings. "I'll get that. Make sure you bandage that, okay? …And I'm taking this, just to be safe."

Sora picks up the knife and leaves. I finish my task as quickly as possible before obeying his command. When I'm about halfway done, I hear my brother shout "Why are you here?" at whoever's at the door. Confused, I make my way to my house's entryway. Just outside, there is a tall young man with long, layered silver hair and narrow, cold-blue eyes. Sora appears to be terrified to see him and on the verge of slamming the door in the stranger's face. The man looks at me and smiles cheerfully. He extends his hand in the gap between the doorframe and Sora's trembling body.

"You must be Ventus. Hi, I'm Riku. Surely Sora mentioned me. I'm the guy who experimented with your brother when we were kids."

…Excuse me? Sora's jaw drops, either because of the random comment about his childhood or the fact that he named me incorrectly.

"Uh…Sorry, I've never heard of you…" I'm not sure what else to say…

"He…It…That was a joke. Don't listen to him," he assures, chuckling. Judging by his hesitant response, I doubt that. "Riku, you know my brother's name is Sora…"

"So…Riku, was it? Nice to meet you, I guess." I mutter while shaking his hand.

"Ohhhh, so Sora never told you about me." Riku sneers while smiling at my brother. Sora looks down, his expression displaying shame and fear. The stranger takes advantage of my brunet counterpart's weakened state and lets himself in. Sora slowly closes the door, still staring at the floor.

"Sora, please tell my new friend Roxas who I am."

"Riku, please…" Sora sounds desperate.

"Either you do it or I will."

"What is he talking about?" I wonder.

"I-It's nothing!" Sora exclaims.

"You're still going to hold back? Fine. Sora and I-"

"Wait! …Fine, I'll tell him…um…Sora, I…Well…He and I…used to be…Reapers."

"…You…what…?" I can't believe what I'm hearing. Sora, you damn hypocrite! You put me in the doghouse because I asked someone else to kill Kairi, but you've murdered people!

"Ah, yeah, Kingdom Heats. That sure brings back memories, huh?" Riku gleams. Why the hell is he reminiscing about something so terrible with a smile on his face? "It was me, you, and Kairi. Good times."

"What? She was one too?" I snap, causing Sora to jump. "All this time you've been a criminal! Why were you mad at me then, huh? Why the fuck would you scold me about something that you've been doing?"

"I didn't want you to end up like me!" he shouts. "I couldn't…I couldn't stand the blood…staining my hands…All those people I…I killed…It was unbearable…I was a monster…"

Sora's voice is so quiet it almost seems like he's talking to himself instead of me.

"But now…my past is coming back to haunt me. Riku, why are you here?" he stares hatefully at the silver-haired boy, who shrugs.

"Can't I visit an old friend?" he asks.

"And expose his biggest secret? Bullshit. Start explaining."

"Well, there seems to be a problem…Lately, smaller groups have been feeling threatened by the larger ones, so…all Hell broke loose."

"News of Kairi's death must've made things worse…"

"Yup."

They're talking about their partner's demise so calmly…I guess it's to be expected, considering their former jobs.

"So, you want us to get out retirement…?"

"We have to put a stop to this and they won't listen to us otherwise…Is it alright with you?"

"I…I dunno…Let me think about it, okay?" Sora mumbles. Riku nods before leaving the house. Silence.

"…Roxas, I…" my brother tries to talk to me but I can barely look at him. I feel so stupid… Before my sudden urge to hit him overtakes me, I leave, rushing toward my workplace.


	21. Bargain, Axel's story

**_"Blondie…You came back. I'm flattered."_**

**_What possessed that boy to return after what he experienced? He's either brave or idiotic beyond words…_**

**_"Don't take this the wrong way. I'm here for Axel." he growls with that wonderfully-malicious glare. He seems to be holding something. Whatever it is, it's intensifying my instincts. Could it be…?_**

**_"I have something for you."_**

**_He throws a small figure at me. I catch it easily but suddenly freeze. That smell…That incredible, marvelous smell…Did he just…offer me his blood? B…But…Damn, I can't believe it! I hurriedly unscrew the lid and take a sip._**

**_…_**

**_The taste…It's even more astonishing than the scent…Words cannot describe the ecstasy, the joy I'm feeling since the moment the liquid reached my lips. The scorching Anger…The powerful Bravery...Before I knew it, the minuscule jar was empty. Damn it, Blondie, why must you tease me? He has a disturbed countenance, almost as if he didn't know I drink blood._**

**_"Do you like it?" he asks a stupid question but I quickly nod, almost willing to do anything for more of his _****_succulent blood._**

**_"Good, now tell me what you guys really do for a living."_**

**_…I said "almost"._**

**_"It's gonna take a lot more than that to get me to talk, intern." I say, hoping he doesn't make the mistake of falling for my bluff. It's clear that he didn't read the contract like Zexion told him to._**

**_"Whatever it takes." he replies._**

**_Unbelievable._**

**_"…Look, Blondie…I'm a bad man. You don't wanna be involved with the likes of me."_**

**_"Yes I do. No one forced me to come here."_**

**_"…You know what? Fine. Have it your way!" I give up. If he's willing to risk his life to save that pathetic excuse for my other half, he can be my guest. I grab his wrist and force his palm, which is covered with bled-through bandages, to face me. I lick the wound. Blondie nearly jumps out of his skin but I tighten my grip on his wrist and continue my meal. Ooh, so this is what blood tastes like when it's warm. There's definitely a difference..._**

**_"Ngh…Ow…" Blondie groans. My tongue must feel so rough and uncomfortable on his fresh cut. Oh well. I feel his nails brush against my chin each time his hand reflexively twitches. When I begin to taste the bandages more so than the blood, I rip the cloth apart with my teeth._**

**_"W-What're you-"the boy protests before I lick his wound more vigorously. I occasionally press my tongue inside the cut, opening it further. Blondie grimaces from the pain._**

**_"St-Stop…"_**

**_I warned you, kid! I want to say but I can't stop consuming Blondie's flesh. Some blood trickles off the edge of his hand but I stop my digging long enough to catch it. In the process, I look at Blondie's expression. He's definitely in agony but this is the only way I can show him I'm not someone to be messed with._**

**_"H…How does it taste…?" his weakly-asked question stops me in my tracks. He's curious about the taste of blood, huh…? I swallow the last bit of blood left on my tongue._**

**_"It's really sweet," I answer. "Best I ever had."_**

**_Blondie's eyes widen slightly before he snatches his hand away. I don't stop him._**

**_"Enough…Hah…I'm starting to feel dizzy…" he says. I laugh at his comment before walking to my desk and opening my drawer of supplies._**

**_"I work for a secret company every night and, obviously, I like blood. That should be enough info for ya," I state. "…You should probably get going. Mommy and Daddy might be worried."_**

**_"…Could I stay here a little longer?"_**

**_"Why? You're gonna be left alone again."_**

**_"Well…it's somewhere I'm needed."_**

**_"…"_**

**_"Look…My parents hardly ever interact with me, my brother treats me like a little kid and doesn't trust me, the kids at school hate me, and the only friend I have is a complete nutcase! I…I don't care if it's my blood you're after. You need me, so please…let me stay."_**

**_…My God, this boy's a pain in the ass._**

**_"Fine, if you're gonna bitch about it. Well…I gotta go, so…see ya."_**

**_Once I leave the office and close the door, I slip on my black coat and change my lighter to my scythe. Blondie's little sob story reminded me that despite his cruel personality and tough exterior, he's still a lonely teenage boy. If he found out that the only person he can depend on is a murderer he'd probably hate him…_**

**_…Wait, I don't care._**


	22. Big Boss, Roxas's story

Xemnas Ichi…Everyone at the Corp calls him Big Boss. I heard he's as poised as he is daunting, and has dark skin, yellow eyes, and long white hair. It'll be pretty awkward to work for the most powerful man in the company, but I guess I'll have to get used to it.

I knock on the door labeled with the Roman numeral I and wait for someone to answer. After a while I knock again. No response. I look around for any nearby workers. Mr. Ni happens to be passing through with another armful of blueprints.

"Um, Mr. Ni?" I call him. When he sees me with his good eye, he smiles evilly while walking toward me.

"'Sup, newbie?"

"Is Mr. I-"

"Because _obviously_ what I'm doing isn't nearly as important!"

"…Sorry."

He suddenly wraps his free arm around my neck rather tightly.

"Ahhh, I'm just messin' with ya!" he laughs heartily as I quickly lose my ability to breathe. I try to pry off his arm but the man's strength easily defeats my own.

"Where's Mr. Ichi?" I say while trapped in this ridiculous position.

"In his office!" Mr. Ni replies as if it was a stupid question. "Wait…You didn't knock, did ya?"

"Yes…Why?"

"No, Roxas!" he lets go. "He respects people who can stand up to 'im, people who aren't intimidated by 'im! Don't knock! Go right in and show Big Boss you mean business!"

"Uh…Okay!" I nod, somewhat suspicious of the man's advice. I mentally prepare myself for my courageous and possibly foolish action before swiftly opening the door.

Suddenly something wet slides across the bridge of my nose. What the…?

After a moment of frozen confusion, I wipe the mysterious substance off my face and glance at it. It's black and slightly thick…Paint? I rub the rest of it away with the back of my hand before blinking at the man in front of me. I gulp. Big Boss…He looks exactly the way people described him with a dumbfounded expression and a thin paintbrush in hand.

…I choose to ignore Mr. Ni's obnoxious laughter behind me.

"Um…Am I interrupting something, Mr. Ichi?" I try to sound as polite as possible.

"Not really. Please, come in."

Damn, even his voice is scary…I obey while nonchalantly observing the room. The walls, his desk, everything is covered by layers of complicated swirls and shapes of different-colored paint. Is this his addiction? It's pretty serious…I look down, checking to see if his work continues onto the floor. …Yup, it does.

Tick...tock…tick…tock…

Mr. Ichi hasn't spoken to me since I entered his office. He simply started coating the door again. I twiddle my fingers as I wait for my new boss to tell me to do something while sitting in a beautifully-painted chair.

Twenty minutes pass and still nothing. What was the point of reassigning me if I won't be made of any use?

"…Is Mr. Hachi in trouble?" I speak up when I'm on the verge of insanity.

"No," he says without stopping. "We just figured it would be more advantageous for him to be separated from you. You proved to be quite a distraction."

"M-Me? How?"

"Well, he cares deeply about you," Big Boss mutters. "He made that quite evident. …You could say that he loves you."

"He…loves me?" I'm too afraid to laugh at Mr. Ichi's comment, but it must be a joke, right? "He's, like, ten years older than me! A-And a guy!"

"Triple that and you'll be about right…" the man says it so quietly that I doubt he intended for me to hear it. "Since we're aware of the risk of allowing you to be alone with him any longer, we've decided to assign you as one of my apprentices."

Whoa…He's actually serious.

"So, if Mr. Hachi puts the moves on me, you'll know right away…" I presume.

"Exactly. I apologize for leaving you in the dark until now."

I know that Axel's attraction to someone who's so much younger than him is…wrong…But I'm actually…a little bit…happy.

With still nothing to do, I attempt to balance my chair on its hind legs. Mr. Ichi isn't paying me any mind; he's too focused on his art. Now that I know the reason for transferring out of the blue, I'm a little sad… I wonder if he knows that my feelings for him are mutual…Ah, this sucks!

"Heeeeey, Mistuh Big Boss!" someone suddenly barges into the room, scaring me and causing me to lose my balance. I quickly stand before the chair falls. They are a man and a woman, not much older than me. The man is a blond with peach fuzz who is covered with ash and the woman has short black hair, a headband and revealing clothing. I assume that they're some of Big Boss's other apprentices. Despite the brunet's unnecessary outburst, Mr. Ichi calmly acknowledges them with a smile.

"Late again, you two…"

"Sorreh, boss. We were caught up in one o' our old experiments," the blond explains with a southern drawl. "Ah think we finalleh perfected it! No mo' side-effects!"

"Who should be our guinea pig this time, Cid?" the woman asks excitedly. Before they could discuss, Xemnas clears his throat warningly.

"I think you should talk about this some other time…" he says while glancing in my direction. They nod understandingly. Damn it, more secrets? I'm not a child!

During my lunch break, Xion and I are eating by ourselves again. We watch as Rikku and Paine silently mourn the loss of their third clone, Yuna. According to the recent news she was targeted by a Reaper a few nights ago.

A few nights ago…I was with Eight at that time. He yearned for my flesh for weeks and consumed it hungrily…He wants to eat me…He_needs_ me…The very thought makes my blood boil…

"Roxy? Hey, you alright?" Xion shakes me out of my trance.

"Eh? Uh, yeah…" I nod.

"You've been kinda spacey lately…Something wrong, bud?"

"…Have you ever felt like you had no purpose?"

Xion stares sullenly at me for a moment before nodding.

"Well…I've been feeling that way for a while now…but…but then I met someone who changed that."

"Oh, you're lucky. I don't even know what my gods look like…They gave _me_ purpose. Actually…" Xion's mouth curls into a dark smile as her voice lowers. "I reported Yuna to the Reapers…"

"What?" my eyes widen a bit before I remember the two girls butting heads the other day. "Well, yeah, I kinda figured it was you…Did you have nightmares?"

"Y…Yeah…um…About that…These dreams are…more realistic than the others…I actually felt myself…" she whispers, "b…burning…when I tried to save her…" she hugs herself shakily. "My arms…my back…my legs…I felt pain on every part of my body…"

"Hmm…"

"B-But it was worth it…My gods simply want me to compensate for their hard work. I…I can handle it."

Xion is trembling as she speaks. I can tell that her psyche's reaching its limit, but she's so committed to the Reapers that she won't admit she's afraid.

"Look, I'm not judging your beliefs, but you're getting hurt now…" I mutter. "You don't have to prove anything, you know…"

"But if I don't, I won't have a purpose!"

Her sudden outburst brings unwanted attention to us. I quickly clasp my hand to her mouth and smile innocently at the staring passersby. They look at us confusingly but continue eating shortly after.

"Sorry…" she murmurs once I allow her to speak, "but you know about the situation I'm in…You'll do anything have a purpose, right? If nothing else will give you one, would you, like, stick to the role you were given no matter how risky it is?"

"…Yeah…I guess I would…" I admit as Eight suddenly comes to mind again.

After lunch, I make my way to Mr. Ichi's office while trying to figure out what his underlings were going on about earlier.

"What kind of 'experiments' are they doing here…?" I ask myself. The longer I work at the Renovation Corp, the more convinced I am that there is something huge going on behind the scenes. While lost in thought, I bump into someone larger than me, causing the person to drop a pile of papers.

"I'm sorry!" I say before dropping onto my knees and picking up the scattered sheets.

"Oh…"

I freeze. Who did I run into just now…? I look up to see Axel looking at me, surprised. I quickly stare back at the floor and scoop up the documents before handing them back to him.

"U-Uh, hey, Mr. Hachi!" I say while standing, feeling blood rush to my cheeks as he and I make eye-contact. He doesn't look too happy to see me. As I prepare to ask what's wrong, I sense a few pairs of eyes burning the back of my head. I turn to see the cause of Axel's behavior; he's being watched by the other bosses…

"I can't talk to you." he mumbles sadly before speed walking away.

"Wait…" I start but silence myself. Oh, what's the point? I don't want him to get in trouble.


	23. Blondie's Dark Secret, Axel's story

After the underlings leave for the day, my partners and I have an emergency meeting before getting ready for our second jobs. Once again, the discussion involves Roxas.

"Axel, we feel that you are not yet aware of reason for Roxas's reassignment." Saix states emotionlessly.

"I know, I know, you're worried that Eight might attack him." I respond, sighing.

"That's part of the reason…You see, we believe that he is a spy from a different company."

The others nod.

"Our other halves saw him working for DBP last night." Demyx explains.

"DBP?" I ask.

"Death By Poision. Apparently, the larger and smaller groups are competing for dominance. DBP is a part of this war."

"A-And you think he's involved with them?" I shake my head disbelievingly. "No way…It can't be…Not Roxas…"

"Damn it, Axel, why the fuck are you so protective of him?" Larxene snaps. "Look, I'm cool with him too, but we can't trust him yet! He might be using himself as bait to completely fuck up our company!"

"B-But…"

"Besides, didn't I tell you that your feelings for him are influenced by Eight?" Saix sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I know, but I trust him. He would never do something like that!"

"He would say the same about you."

"…Well…Well, I can prove that he's not a Reaper! Just…don't kill him yet."

"…Fine. You have the rest of the week."

"Oh, thank you, sir!" I exclaim happily. The others look at each other doubtfully but I ignore them. As long as Roxas is alright…

…

_**Tonight, my assigned partner is Nine. Great…**_

_**"Dude, dude, I think that chick's checkin' me out! Dude, look!" the kid tugs on my sleeve for the umpteenth time. Resisting the urge to chop him up into little pieces, I take a deep slow breath and follow his line of sight.**_

_**"Nine…It's because she's yet another prostitute…" I explain as calmly as possible. Although I say this, I think "My name is Eight. EIGHT. Not duuuude…" Nine's shoulders droop. I feel a laugh coming up but I cough in order to stop it. If I hurt the boy's feelings, One will never let me hear the end of it.**_

_**"She's just doing her job," I continue. "Perhaps we should do the same."**_

_**"Right, right. Heh, see ya in a bit, dude." he waves before running off, holding his scythe carelessly.**_

_**…Well, if he trips and slits his throat, he won't call me that horrid nickname anymore.**_

_**…**_

_**"Seifer Almasy…Ooh, you're quite the tough guy, aren't you?" I mutter while reading the young man's file. The blond tries to respond but all that comes out is a muffled curse; I taped his mouth shut earlier. His hands and ankles are tied together. I'm sitting next to his downed body in his dark, quiet apartment. My scythe is resting impatiently on my lap, and Seifer has been staring at it the whole time.**_

_**"You're in your twenties and you're still bullying people? Hm, how sad…" I shake my head. "Worst part is…This isn't the first time you were reported."**_

_**"Mmph?"**_

_**"You heard me. You would've died sooner if there weren't so many targets lately. We're getting pretty popular…Speaking of…can't waste any more time, can I?"**_

_**As I pick up my scythe and stand, Seifer vigorously shakes his head and attempts to scream. He starts to annoy me, so I swiftly slice his head off. His blood gushes out of the opening and covers the surrounding wall and floor. Clenching onto his short blond hair, I lift his head above me and prepare to taste his flesh…but I stop.**_

_**Why bother? No one's blood except that kid's can satisfy me. Disappointed, I stuff the trophy into my bag and sigh heavily. The boy's waiting for me in my office…That's what's keeping me going…**_

_**"Maybe I should spend half the amount of time on each target…" I mutter as I jump out of the window of Seifer's apartment. On the way down I skim over my next target's information. I land soundlessly in an alley with garbage bags scattered about.**_

_**I can smell something…A familiar, pleasant smell over the foul stench emitting from the garbage. As a reflex, I change my scythe back into a lighter, take off my hood, and throw my bag into a pile of garbage.**_

_**"Eight!"**_

_**My suspicions are confirmed when I hear Axel's intern's voice. I snap my head toward his direction and watch in shock as he runs toward me.**_

_**"Blondie, keep it down!" I hiss. "You wanna be caught by the others?"**_

_**I grab his arm and yank him further into the alley. I know that my partners don't depend on sight alone, but it's the only thing I can think of at the moment.**_

_**"What're you doing here? How did you find me?"**_

_**"Well…I didn't want to be left alone again, so I followed you guys…" Blondie explains. "I wanted to wait until Nine left, so…"**_

_**"…You are an entirely new level of crazy, you know that?" I sneer.**_

_**"Shut up…" he growls, showing me that adorable glare and bringing chills up my spine.**_

_**…**_

_**"Close your eyes…" I whisper suavely in the boy's ear. He's reluctant to at first, but he takes a deep breath and closes them. I take out my lighter again and flip open the cap. I light the mechanism in order to reveal the blade of my scythe. I grab his arm and press the blade onto my victim's neck. When I slice the skin open Blondie flinches. I tighten my grip to keep him still. He trembles as I hover above his bleeding neck. I lap up the gore before it reaches his clothing. After that, I bite onto his neck and begin to suck out of the cut. Oh, the taste is unbelievable…He still has Bravery and Anger running through his veins…**_

_**"Ngh…" Blondie groans while clenching onto my coat sleeve. I pay him no mind as I continue to drink my fill. I use my tongue to deepen the cut and Blondie tries to pull away. My grip on him doesn't falter, so he can't move much. Eventually I stop digging and lick along the cut one final time. Blondie shivers and exhales.**_

_**"A…Are you done…?" I hear him ask weakly. I smirk.**_

_**"Not even close…"**_

_**I cut his arms, legs, and torso, tearing his shirt and pants. I completely ignore his pained protests and continue to hold on to him. I lick the wounds I created vigorously, completely drunk with lust. The blood is rushing more quickly. The boy's heart must be racing furiously.**_

_**"Don't tell me you're scared…" I coo before licking my blood-covered lips. Blondie hesitates but quickly shakes his head.**_

_**"I…I want you…to kill me…" he admits quietly. I cock an eyebrow before sighing heavily. He sure has a talent for frustrating the hell out of me.**_

_**"You're such a buzz kill..." I groan.**_

_**"Sh…Shut up…"**_

_**Well, either way, if he's okay with it, then I won't hold back. I get on one knee and suck on the cuts I made on his waist. His blood paints the floor and my coat. I look up to observe his expression; he's clearly weak from the blood loss. His legs start to give out on him but I catch him before he crumples onto the floor. He fainted. After wiping a trail of blood off my chin, I place his lifeless body on my shoulder. His eyes are shut and breathing is close to nonexistent. His clothes are shredded and drenched with his blood. At this rate, he may die before long.**_

_**"I told you I was a bad man…" I mutter.**_


	24. Unexplained Memories, Roxas's story

What…happened…?

I was with Eight…and then…

I suddenly feel unimaginable pain on every part of my body…It's difficult to open my eyes, but once I do I see nothing but white. Crap…Am I having another nightmare? Before I start to panic, something catches my eye. Next to me, there is a beautiful blue-haired woman in a white coat fiddling with machines. She glances at me before stopping what she's doing and smiling.

"Good afternoon." she states, her voice matching her mother-like appearance. I weakly return the greeting. "You're in the hospital, dear. Do you have any family members you'd want me to contact?"

As she speaks, I sit up and observe the room. I realize that I'm covered with bandages and sitting on an adjustable bed. What happened last night suddenly comes pouring back into my mind.

"Um…yeah, my brother Sora," I answer. I tell her how to contact him and she writes it down. "Um…H…How did I get here?"

"Someone found you unconscious in an alleyway and dropped you off." the woman explains.

"Who?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch his name. He had spiky red hair if that rings any bells."

Eight saved my life? Why? Does he have no intention of killing me?

"You're lucky." the doctor states. "I don't think you would've made it if you were discovered at a later time, judging by the amount of blood you lost."

"I see…You know, you look familiar…like I've seen you somewhere before…" I tell her.

"Really? Funny, I thought the same thing about you. You look just like a friend of mine."

That's right…That boy I saw the other day was with this woman and her husband…

"Why don't you rest for a bit? I'll let Sora in when he arrives." the doctor informs me.

"Okay. Thanks, Aqua."

Aqua?

"How did you…?" the blue-haired woman wonders before lighting up. "Oh, haha, right. Name tag."

I only caught a glimpse of her face. How did I know her name? I nod with a forced smile, encouraging the woman to leave me alone. My solitude gives me the opportunity to contemplate Eight's reason for taking me to the hospital. Is it because the man wants to keep me alive long enough to satisfy his bloodlust? Or…maybe…he genuinely cares about me…


	25. In Denial, Riku's story

_Hunt them down…Play their god…Take their hearts…Hunt them down…Play their god…Take their hearts…_

I can't wait much longer for Sora's response. You want to restart Kingdom Hearts or you don't, that's all there is to it. Why is it taking so long for him to make up his mind?

I ponder this as I unlock the front door of the brunet's house. Once I enter I find him talking on the phone while tightly clenching onto an oven mitt on the counter.

"Sora, have you decided yet?" I ask after he hangs up. The boy nearly falls off the stool next to the kitchen counter.

"What the-Riku? How the hell did you get in?" he shouts.

"I found the key you gave me a while back."

"A key? When did I…?"

"You told me back when we were Reapers that I was welcome in your house at anytime…I didn't visit 'cause I was afraid of blowing our cover."

"Oh…Well….No, I'm still thinking…"

Sora seems to be distracted.

"Something wrong?" I ask.

"…The hospital called just now…Roxas is there and he's cut up pretty bad…"

Sora looks like he's about to cry. I smile sympathetically before approaching him. When I get too close, Sora quickly slides off the stool and backs away with a suspicious gaze.

"It's okay. I won't bite…" I assure, wrapping my arms around him while his guard is down. He doesn't hug me back but he doesn't force me off either.

"God, I'm so stupid…" he speaks while nuzzled in my shoulder. "I should've forced him to stay home last night…I know better than anyone how dangerous it is at night…"

"Don't put yourself down like that. There's no way you could've known…" I say soothingly. "Now do you see why we have to pick up our scythes again? We have to end this war so that innocent bystanders won't get hurt in the crossfire."

To be honest, I have no idea why Roxas was attacked, but hitting Sora's weak spot is the only way I can think of to convince him.

"…You're right…You're right, I know…"

"Good…Feel better now?"

"…A little…"

"Then…" I clear my throat, "we should talk about our _other_ problem…"

Sora suddenly pushes me away, as expected.

"Riku, now's not a good time…"

"There's never a good time! Come on, you've been dodging the subject since we were kids!"

"I'm not dodging it."

"Yes you are! You're doing it right now!"

"Am not." he continues to deny it while walking to the front door and opening it.

"Come on, Sora…"

"I have to go...Roxas might need me an-"

"Sora!"

The brunet flinches before sighing heavily. He slams the door shut and turns to face me, arms crossed.

"Look, Riku. What happened was a onetime thing; therefore, there is nothing to talk about."

"Bu-"

"_Nothing_. To talk about."

I'm beginning to lose my patience. Why is he being so damn difficult?

"So you didn't feel _anything_ that day? Is that what you're telling me?"

"…If you _must_ know…" Sora leans back onto the entrance and stares at the floor. I can't really blame him for not being able to look at me at the moment. "I felt…embarrassed…confused…"

"But you liked it."

"H-Huh?"

"Oh, come on! Admit it…" I coo as I come near him again. His cheeks turn pink and he still avoids my gaze.

"I can still remember what happened that day. We were all alone…You acted all cute and shy and you were clinging on to me the whole ti-"

Sora's entire face becomes scarlet red as he clasps his hands onto his ears.

"Shut up! Shutupshutupshutup!" he shouts adorably as he speed-walks out of the house. I finally got his strict exterior to crack.


	26. The Prophecy, Roxas's story

"Roxas, you have a visitor." the kind doctor announces, awakening me. I mentally prepare myself for an hour-long lecture from my overprotective brother. While sitting up, I watch in shock as Axel enters the room. As soon as he sees my heavily-bandaged body, he rushes to me. Before I could speak, he wraps his arms around me. I see my doctor smile before leaving.

"M…Mr. Hachi?" I mutter.

"Roxas…I thought he…" Axel pauses and tightens his hug. "Are you alright…?"

"Er…Yeah…" I feel my cheeks become hot as I struggle to find my voice. "Um…This…isn't like you…"

Axel suddenly pulls away and smiles timidly.

"Sorry…It's just…I thought Eight might've…"

I shake my head.

"I'm not a child, y'know…I can handle something like this."

I can't tell him that I wanted Eight to finish the deed…

"Yeah, I know." Axel nods before sliding onto my bed and making himself comfortable. He's so close to me…I try to ignore the butterflies in my stomach.

"Um…" I try to end the uneasy silence. "Aren't you afraid of getting in trouble? I thought you couldn't talk to me…"

"Well, we're not at work right now, are we?" Axel grins. "It wouldn't hurt to pay you a visit."

"You sure? You're not getting any headaches?"

"Actually, no. Eight's been pretty quiet all day."

"Oh…um…Mr. Hachi, I've been meaning to ask you for a while…Where did Eight come from, exactly? I mean, is it schizophrenia, or…"

"…Partly…Schizophrenia's when you hear voices in your head. Eight's an entirely different being who does whatever he can to free himself…so it's more like dissociative identity disorder."

"Are you the only one in the Corp who has it?"

"No, there are a few others besides me; however, we were supposed to separate our thirst for blood from our mentality, not create new personalities. Well…Demyx is an example. He's observant and profound while his other half is more dimwitted and shallow. And…you've already met Eight. He became so much of a problem that Xemnas's underlings started working on something that would transfer our nighttime personae to new bodies."

I nod understandingly. So that's what they were talking about yesterday… But if so, what were the side-effects they mentioned?

"You must think I'm crazy, huh?" Axel asks, laughing a little.

"Well, kinda…" I admit with a smile. "But…I don't mind."

Axel smiles brightly before standing.

"That's a relief. Well, I should get out of your hair…Let you rest…" he states. He begins to walk away, but I don't want him to leave. I think desperately of something that would convince him to stay, just a bit longer.

"Do you like me?" I blurt out. The blue-haired man becomes stock-still at the doorway. He doesn't answer for a while. I start to regret asking him that question. Of course he doesn't…Our relationship is strictly professional. That's what's best. Neither of us wants to get fired.

Even so, I feel a lump in my throat. What's taking him so long to answer? Is he thinking of a way to ease the blow?

"…I shouldn't." Axel murmurs before leaving.

…

Axel left a while ago, but his indirect confession still makes my heart race. The day seems to fly by. Sora visited me and brought his peculiar silver-haired friend with him. They seemed a bit too chummy to just be old friends, so I interrogated my brother. He was always too flustered to give a straight answer, but Riku was more than happy to respond in his place. They left hurriedly, almost like they had something planned for tonight.

...I don't think about it too hard.

…

"Let go of me! Let…go!" I hear a familiar female voice exclaim maniacally. I hear objects fall and break and something hit the wall across from my room. After staying in bed all day, I regained my strength, so I stick my head out of the open doorway to see what's going on. Several other patients do the same.

"Let go! I need to find Roxas Juusan! Are you listening to me? Let me go!" the voice becomes increasingly recognizable as the woman is dragged across the hall my room resides in. I watch in shock as Xion struggles to break out of the security guards' grips. She looks my way and attempts to reach me.

"Roxy! Roxy, help!" she shouts.

"Wha? What's going on, Xion?"

"You know this girl, sir?" a guard asks me. I nod, so they hesitantly release my friend. She snatches her limbs back and flashes a nasty stare at the men.

"Roxy! Roxy, you won't believe what I found out about the Corp!" she states excitedly. "They're the ones! I was right! All this time, I was right! And you're going to join them, I knew it, I knew it!"

"Wait, wait, slow down! What're you talking about?"

"_The man who is immortal by night with spiked hair of blood shall find the one who will make his brethren prosper. It will be a boy with hair of gold and soul corrupt..._ The prophecy, dude, the prophecy! I was right!"

"The…prophecy?" I can barely remember Xion say this prediction before. I thought she gave up on investigating The Renovation Corp, though…

"I saw them! Last night, I saw them! My gods, I saw them! They left the Corp and, and they were wearing Reaper coats!"

"W…Well, maybe they worship Reapers like you do…"

That's what I assumed when I saw Eight and Nine…

"No! They fit the Organizations's description too perfectly! Twelve members, a red-haired man with a split personality, and I saw them with scythes! They're Reapers! My gods!"

No…They couldn't be…

"Oh, I bet they're so proud of me! I've done so much for them!" Xion beams while lowering the hood of her Reaper coat. I gasp. Her pretty face was defiled…Her eye was severely damaged and a large, blood-ridden scar replaced it. Her nightmares must've become too much for her, so she's trying to blind herself in order to get rid of them. Conveniently, my doctor walks in and sees her injury. The blue-haired woman hastily takes her to another room, leaving me alone to think about Xion's news.

No one can cling onto their sanity lately…

…

After about a week in the hospital, I return to work. I almost walk into Axel's office but I remind myself that I don't work for him anymore. Hell, thanks to Xion I won't be working for any of them soon. I refuse to be a part of a company that takes lives for petty reasons. The fact that I helped run their business is going to haunt me forever, so I'm going to quit before I get in too deep.

"Here's my resignation, Mr. Ichi." I say while placing an envelope on his profoundly-painted desk. The man raises an eyebrow as he looks at it.

"Why so sudden?" he asks in a deep, intimidating voice.

"…I realized that this job isn't for me…" I say. Technically, I'm not lying.

"I'm sorry to inform you that quitting is no longer an option…I heard Axel told you personal information involving our corporation."

"I promise not to tell anyone what I learned, really!"

"Well…We can't take that risk, can we?"

I stare at him, dumbfounded.

"No, wait, you can't do that! I don't have to work here anymore if I don't want to!"

"The contract says you do, Roxas…" he states while pulling out the document Zexion made me sign a while back. I don't believe the man until I ask him to give it to me. This time, I read it carefully.

…What…? I shakily drop the paper as my mouth becomes dry. Mr. Ichi starts painting, waiting patiently for me to speak.

"I…If I don't join you…you'll kill my family…?" I whisper. Big Boss nods while working on his art.

"We gave you the opportunity to find out what you've gotten yourself into, but you brushed it off like it was nothing."

So Xion was right…

"…You're…Reapers…" I whisper as my legs become weak "You killed Kairi, didn't you…?"

"She may have been one of our targets, yes. …Don't tell me you used our website without knowing the consequences…"

"…"

"At any rate, our newest member you'll be assigned to a higher-up who insisted on training you. We'll have a coat and scythe ready for you by the end of the day."


	27. Kingdom Hearts, Riku's story

_Hunt them down…Play their god…Take their hearts…Hunt them down…Play their god…Take their hearts…_

The quote plays in my mind repeatedly as my newest victim begs me to spare her life. My mind is blurred, but I hear her mention having children and a loving husband. I don't let that distract me, so in one swift movement I repaint her workplace with her blood. While it is still beating I claim my trophy and place it inside a sack with several others. After finishing my quota, I go to an abandoned warehouse and wait for Sora. Once he arrives, I can see the fear in his gore-covered face. He's a mere few feet away from me before he drops on his hands and knees and vomits. His bag topples over and a few hearts fall out. While the brunet empties himself I stuff his trophies back inside the bag and tie it. I then get on my knees and rub his back soothingly.

"It's alright…Let it all out…" I say. He knocks my hand away and wipes the bile from his chin.

"I'm fine, Riku. Don't baby me or I'll never get used to this…" he tells me.

"Okay…Now," I stand back up and swing my bag onto my back, "since we did this, it should let the other Reapers know that we came out of retirement. Maybe then they'll listen to us."

"Good," Sora straightens up as well. "Let's end this ridiculous feud."

He seems distracted as he says this. He takes out his cell phone and dials something before waiting impatiently for someone to answer.

"Come on, come on…" he growls as the phone rings. When the voicemail plays, Sora frustratingly presses the 'End' button and shoves the phone into his pocket.

"Calling Roxas again?" I ask.

"Yeah, but he won't answer…Damn it, he knows how worried I get…"

"Come on, he can take care of himself." I sneer.

"He clearly can't. He almost died last week!"

"It was just a few cuts. Don't get so worked up over someone like him."

He glares hatefully at me before searching for a concealed button. He presses it and a gargantuan refrigerator door pops open. The hearts from our previous victims several years ago are still there; they're nothing more than a pile of decomposed flesh emitting an awful smell. How long has it been, I wonder?

"That's it, I'm going home." Sora states while walking away. I throw my load into the fridge, close it, and catch up with him.

"And _don't_follow me," he says threateningly. "I don't want Roxas to get the wrong idea."

"What, that there's something between us? Sounds pretty accurate to me."

Sora stops walking.

"He thinks that because you blurted out what happened the minute you came to my house!" he shouts. "Why did you do that anyway?"

"Because I was mad…" I frown. "Every time I dropped by you disappeared, you never answered when I called…"

"Riku…What happened that day was…well…"

"I don't want this…us…to stop there…At least have dinner with me tomorrow."

"…"

That corny line made _me _want to gag, but the brunet blushes slightly. He doesn't respond, though; instead, he begins to walk again. Does that mean no? I start after him.

"Sora…" I call.

"Go home, Riku." he groans. I believe that I didn't get through to him until he turns his head and smiles at me. I become baffled. That cheeky bastard…I return the gesture enthusiastically while resisting the urge to dance. He's going on a date with me! _Hell_ yes!


	28. Axel vs Eight, Roxas's story

While looking around for the other bosses, I knock on Mr. Hachi's office door while carrying something. He answers after a few seconds and gasps when he sees me.

"Roxas, what are you doing here? You're going to get caught!" Although he says this, he yanks me inside and shuts the door. I notice a pack of cigarettes, his lighter, and a put-out cigarette in his expensive ashtray. Eight must've been torturing him again. Axel walks back to his desk and sits. I follow him. Once he looks at me questioningly, I show him what I brought with me.

"…No…" he mutters when I reveal the Reaper coat and a scythe disguised as a checkered bracelet on my wrist. "Is it because of what I told you?"

I nod sullenly. Axel looks devastated but I don't blame him for any of this. Like Mr. Ichi said, they told me exactly what I was getting into and I didn't take it seriously. Even after having my doubts and suspicions, even after meeting Eight, even after almost dying, I stayed. And now…I'm forced to be the very thing I despise: a killer.

"I bet you hate me right now…" Axel says unhappily. I shake my head.

"It's hard to hate someone you…l-like…" I confess with flushed cheeks. Axel's eyes widen slightly.

"You…like me…?"

"Yeah…and…you like me too…right, Axel?" I call him by his first name. I know he told me already, but I want to hear it again. He shyly looks away before nodding. He does…He really, truly does! I never thought I could be this happy!

"Then…close your eyes." I say. Axel looks at me confusingly before obeying. I take a deep preparatory breath before leaning closer to him. He still reeks of cigarettes, just like the day I met him, but it's actually kinda nice…I gently place my hands on his cheeks and press my lips onto my boss's unsuspecting ones. He's so soft…His eyes snap open when I kiss him, but he doesn't stop me. His emerald green eyes make me melt, so I quickly pull away.

Axel, however, isn't finished. He places his hand on the back of my neck and brings me closer again. His kiss is more forceful, more powerful, with its innocence nowhere in sight. I can almost sense Eight contributing to it, and the thought makes my heart flutter. I clench tightly onto Axel's arm as I moan voluptuously into his mouth. I feel him wrap his free arm around my waist and pull me even closer. I never expected this kind of attitude from him, but I'm not complaining…His eyes become blood-red for a split second when we make eye-contact again, proving that Eight's involved and trying to take the credit by revealing himself. So he does have feelings for me…or is he trying to make Axel jealous?

"Whoa…"

Whoa? Axel breaks the kiss and looks toward the door. I do the same and see Mr. Kyuu looking blankly at us. What the hell, why didn't he knock?

"Oh, uh…" he scratches the back of his mullet and smiles nervously. "My bad…I didn't know you were busy."

We continue to stare at him.

"Um…I should probably go, so…I'll tell you what I needed to tell you later, okay? So…laters!" he quickly leaves.

"O…kay…" I mutter. "I should go too…Gotta train to be Reaper and whatnot…"

Axel frowns and reluctantly removes his arm from my waist. I give him one quick peck on the lips before waving goodbye and picking up my coat. I walk down the ridiculously-long hall until I reach the door labeled "IV". The office belongs to Vexen Shi, the "higher-up" Xemnas assigned me. He's apparently the brains of the company…and a pain in the ass.

...Big Boss's words, not mine.


	29. My First Target, Roxas's story

Mr. Shi's room is _freezing_. There are ice sculptures of people, animals, and furniture scattered about. A sharpened ice pick is resting on the platinum-blond man's desk.

"Oh, it's you again…" Mr. Shi greets me with a disinterested gaze. Again? I wonder what he means until I recall my first day at the Corp. I gave all of my superiors a schedule for houses that needed improvements…Now that I think about it…were those schedules meant for their targets? So…all this time…I was blindly helping Reapers…I feel a nasty chill crawl up my spine.

"Uh, yeah..." I nod. "Big Boss says you have to-"

"Babysit you. Yes, I'm aware." he states snobbishly while walking toward me. My nose wrinkles.

"Well, not exactly 'babysit'…"

"Whatever," he approaches me before grabbing my arm and closely observing my special bracelet. "So this scythe chose you, eh? Take it off and summon your blade."

"Summon? Er…Okay." I pull the checkered accessory off my wrist and stare blankly at it. Now what? Mr. Shi quickly grows impatient.

"Do you even know how?" he sighs. "Figures…Can't expect a child to do a simple task."

…Now I see why Big Boss dislikes him…

"Well, tell me what to do then."

"I'm about to, genius." Mr. Shi growls. "Now…In order to summon your scythe, you must think about a Reaper's true purpose."

"…What, to cause human extinction?" I mutter. Mr. Shi's expression briefly changes from anger to disgust.

"No…" he says frustratingly. "Our purpose is to help the weak."

"Wha-I-I am not weak!"

After realizing what I said, I clasp my hand onto my mouth. Why the hell would I reveal something like that to a jerk like him? Mr. Shi cocks an eyebrow before smiling (though mockingly) for the first time.

"Then why did you ask for our help?" he sneers.

"I…uh…"

…I'm not sure how to answer that, but I'm not a weakling!

"Hmph…Well, even if you don't agree with our beliefs, as long as you understand them your scythe will appear."

"Okay…Got it."

While gazing intently at the bracelet, I chant "Help the weak". Although I don't believe in the Organization's work, I can see where they're coming from. When someone has nowhere else to turn and no one else to depend on, they can ask a Therista member for help. Using this method to exact revenge is a bit extreme though…

"Help the weak…" I murmur, "Help the weak…Help the…"

Suddenly, the bracelet starts acting strangely. Like a block puzzle, he black and white squares slide past each other. As soon as the colors are separated they stretch into long thin poles whose height rivals my own and grow curved blades on their tips. While clenching tightly onto my scythes, I look questioningly at Mr. Shi. The bold-blond boss is in shock.

"Two…You have two?" he whispers. "Intriguing…"

Before long, he informs the other bosses of this discovery and I become surrounded by nosy stares. Everyone except the other underlings and Mr. Ichi, who said he is "too busy", is in the room.

"Wow…Who woulda thought this guy was something special?" Ms. Juuni grins while placing her hand on my shoulder.

"What does it mean?" Mr. Kyuu asks Mr. Shi. The man, who was insulting my intelligence every time he was given the chance, is at a loss for words. I struggle not to laugh at him. Mr. Ni suddenly lights up.

"It _means_that the newbie's gonna do twice the work!" he laughs evilly. Before I could respond, the other bosses started to smile, one by one.

"If we allocated evenly, our labor would be expurgated by five individuals." Mr. Juu murmurs.

"No kidding? Aw, that's nice o' you, Roxas!"

"What? No, I…"

I stop myself when it becomes obvious that they aren't listening. They quickly exit the room, leaving me with Mr. Shi and a pressured feeling.

…

The sun is setting. Mr. Shi already prepared himself and left the room, giving me time to myself. I hesitantly put on my Reaper coat and notice my checkered bracelet in the process. I exhale shakily as I imagine my future actions. I'm about to murder people…Someone's parent or child or close friend…and I have no one to blame but myself.

Someone knocks on the office door, scaring me.

"C...Come in…" I say. , who's wearing his coat, walks inside and quietly closes the door. "M-Mr. Hachi…?"

"Oh, you're still calling me that?" he sounds a bit sad...

"Sorry…Axel…I'm not used to calling you by your first name..." I laugh timidly. He nods understandingly with a smile.

"So, how are the others treating you?" Axel asks worriedly while moving closer to me. My cheeks redden as the distance between us shortens.

"W…Well…" I clear my throat, "they bullied me when I first came here, they're bullying me now, and I'm sure they'll bully me in the future. I'll get used to it, I guess…"

"Alright…" he doesn't sound convinced but decides against questioning me further. Once he's close enough to me, Axel wraps his arms around me. I can feel his spiky azure hair brush against my skin as I feel his comforting warmth.

"I haven't seen you all day…" he murmurs. "I missed you…"

He…missed me after we were separated for a day…? I feel faint, like my legs would give out on me. He's holding me pretty closely, so I shouldn't fall…

"Um…I-Is…it alright…if…I kiss you again…?" I whisper. He doesn't answer. Instead, he suddenly presses his lips against mine. It was almost as if he was waiting for my permission…The kiss is soft…innocent…much like our first…but seconds later, he forcefully pushes his tongue into his mouth. I find it difficult to breathe as I try to push him away. He tightens his grip on my body and presses his teeth into my lips. He then forces my lips together until he pierces the skin, leaving a mark. While I'm still in shock, he laps up the blood that emits from my cut and finally pulls away. He grabs my arm before I can back away.

"W-What the hell, A…xel?" I notice that his eyes are red and mischievous. "Eight, is that you?"

"Took you long enough." the man smirks. "Um, did I hear you right, Blondie? 'I'll get used to it, I guess'? Is that what you said when you sentenced that Kairi girl to an early death?"

"Fuck you." I growl.

"Ha! You wish, perv!" he laughs teasingly.

"Whatever…" I mutter, wiping the blood and saliva from my mouth. "Why're you so chipper?"

"Guess I'm excited," he gleams. "Tomorrow, I'll finally have my own body…"

"…Yeah, Axel mentioned that once…" my eyes narrow. "I'm not too comfortable with the idea of you roaming free whenever you want to, though…"

"Why? Afraid of being tempted by me?"

"Huh…?"

"Admit it," Eight coos, "the moment you opened your eyes at that hospital, you fell for me…When Redhead and I become separate people, you can't approach me without being accused of cheating."

"…I…"

"Hmph, don't you just hate when I'm right?" he chuckles sinisterly. "Well, suck it up, Blondie! It's almost time to work."

With that, the man leaves. I stand there blankly, injured and dumbfounded.

…

"Please refrain from screwing up, Roxas…" Four, Mr. Shi's other half, scoffs. I don't respond at first. Eight's words consistently play in my head. What would happen when they do separate? I care deeply about Axel, but Eight's so demanding and shameless…

"S…Sure…" I nod timidly. Four smirks before slipping on his hood. He takes out his ice pick, which instantly morphs into a scythe with round blue designs on the blade. I jump because of the sudden action and Four looks disbelievingly at me before shaking his head.

"_You're_ our newest recruit? Wow, _I_feel safe…" he states sardonically.

"Sorry…" I'm no longer in the mood to be demeaned by him. "It's just…I'm thinking about this project Mr. Ichi's interns are working on…"

"…What project?"

"Something about…giving you guys your own bodies…"

"Wh…B-But that was _my_project!"

…Is Mr. High-and-Mighty pouting?

"What happened?" I wonder.

"Well…I made a _slight_miscalculation during my first test…and the new body malfunctioned. The subject never made it," he explains sullenly. "That's probably why Big Boss hired those scientists…"

"Maybe."

"Oh, now look what you've done!" Four snaps randomly while glancing at his watch. "We're behind schedule because of your prying! Let's go, kid."

…I _really_don't like this man…

The scent of blood lingers in the air (probably from the scythe) before Four goes on ahead and I quickly follow. I gulp. So…this is it…I remove the bracelet from my wrist and reminisce about Mr. Shi's instructions. I have to think about a Reaper's true purpose. He said that even though I don't believe in it, understanding it is just as effective. With that in mind, I chant the same words as before. Help the weak…After several seconds my scythes reveal their true form again.

"Ah, you're improving…" Four admits. "Since this is your first time, you'll have only one target. Here is her information."

He hands me a sheet of paper and I skim over it.

"As soon as you read your target's name, your scythes will give you the ability to see her profile." he explains.

…It's Namine. After causing the death of her best friend, I have to kill her? That's beyond cruel…But if I don't do what they say, my family's lives would be in danger…

Namine Prescot…Icy-blond hair and sea-blue eyes…Just as Four said, a vivid image of her face appears in my head once I read her name. I also, somehow, discover her location. She isn't in a house, but at a beach a short distance away taking a walk.

"I can see her!" I exclaim before being silenced by Four's hand.

"Shhh!" he hisses. "Do you _want_us to get caught? Jeez...Well, lead the way."

I nod as I feel something draw me to Namine's location. We walk slowly at first, but the magnetism begins to overpower me and I begin to run. My hood flies off of my head and flaps in the wind. My sudden action must've caught Four off-guard, because he awkwardly follows suit. This is such a peculiar, feeling…I feel a sudden connection to my target…My single-minded attention frightens me but I cannot stop. All I can think of is **"Find Namine…Kill her…"**…Are the scythes forcing these thoughts into my head?

…Well, it doesn't matter now, because I found her.

Before I approach her too closely, Four grabs my hood and yanks me back. I gag when the coat's collar cuts off my air supply.

"You have to be quiet!" the bold-blond hisses.

"Right…My bad…" I say while rubbing my neck.

"Well…at least you're determined…" the man sighs. "Maybe even more than the rest of us…Perhaps it's because you have two scythes…"

"Hm...So, what should I do now?"

"Attack when her guard is down…When she is unable to fight back, whether it's due to fear or being forced to submission, you tell her the reason for being targeted. …Oh, and your client's identity mustn't be revealed. After that, you collect your trophy."

"…Hold on, trophy?" I ask disbelievingly. "Y-You collect their…um…"

"Heads, yes."

"S…So you treat this like a game?"

"…It eases the blow…You'll get used to it eventually."

"…If you say so…"

It's not like I have a choice…Four motions me to move toward my target. I nod before catching up with the blonde. She stops once I'm a few feet away and I freeze. Is she done with her walk? Oh, crap, she's turning around…What do I do? There's nowhere to hide, and the whiteness of the sand will blow my cover…I look around for Four but he's long gone. The bastard left me! Not sure what else to do, I put on my hood. If I screw up, I don't want her to see my face.

"Whoa…Who're you?" Namine asks. "Oh…you're one of those Reaper guys…"

I don't say anything, since she might recognize my voice.

"Don't you feel guilty at all…?" she says, her eyes brimming with tears. "You and your damn friends killed Kairi! Don't you feel bad at all?"

I feel a lump form in my throat as I watch the poor girl cry. I didn't mean to, really! I want to comfort her, to do something to help her make peace with her crisis, but nothing comes to mind. Hell, I was actually glad that Kairi died. God, what's wrong with me?

"Well? Say something, damn it!" she shouts mournfully.

When she is unable to fight back…you tell her the reason for being targeted.

The hand holding the white scythe starts to move on its own. In one fell swoop, I pierce the girl's side with my blade. I quickly pull back and trickles of blood fly out of her wound. Namine shrieks before pressing her hand on her cut and falling onto her knees.

"W…Why did you…Ow…" she grimaces. I quickly take out her information and skim over it in order to avoid eye-contact. I...I'm not doing it because I want to…

"…Um…Someone reported you because…they're jealous of you…?" I read the last part inquisitively before skimming over the rest. "'Pretty…smart…Nice…popular…I can't stand her…' Wow…"

It's a horrible reason, but a reason nonetheless. I cannot disappoint my client, since it would result in pissing off my bosses.

"R-Roxas? You're one of them? You…You bastard, how could you?"

I want to run away. I want to spare her life. I don't want to do this, but I stand my ground. Come on, Roxas, think about Mom, Dad, and Sora…

I place the blade of the black scythe on her neck and she cringes. My weapons' orders become louder. **"Kill her…_Kill her_…"**

"W-What're you doing?" Namine's eyes widen fearfully. Her expression stops me and my scythe suddenly feels heavy. I can't stand it…but I have no choice…

"…I'm so sorry…" I whisper before swinging my blade.

…

I…I…killed someone…

Four appears out of nowhere after I stared horrifyingly at Namine's body for a few minutes. I'm still angry that he left me alone but I'm too shaken up to say anything. My boss takes me back to the office before heading back to work. I walk aimlessly through The Renovation Corp before stumbling into Mr. Hachi's office. After what I experienced, Axel's the only person I want to see right now... I explore the room a bit while waiting for him. I see some cigarettes…His expensive ashtray…A fair-sized bookshelf…

The area around the bookshelf smells strange. I recognize the scent but I still don't know where it's coming from. I observe the area more closely until I notice a random square tile next to the bookshelf. I brush my fingers along the tile until I unintentionally press it. A hidden door pops open and some mist emits from the crack. It's the secret room Eight keeps using… Curious, I take a peek inside.

…It's a room full of Eight's "trophies"…Hundreds of thousands of them…The room, which is likely a refrigerator, is so full that a few heads roll out. I instinctively back away before losing my balance and falling on my backside. I can't stop shaking and my heart is racing. He…He keeps them here? My God…

"Aw, man, I wanted to surprise you…" I hear a familiar sarcastic voice. My head snaps toward the direction of the door. Eight's here with a bloodied sack.

"W…What're you…" I regain my composure as much as possible before continuing. "You finished already?"

"No, sweetheart," Eight sneers while hauling his load into the already-open fridge and dumping it. "I can't carry sixty heads in one go. Gotta make trips, remember?"

"Oh…"

"Where's yours, Blondie? You only had one today, right?"

"…I…left it behind…It…didn't feel right to just…take it…"

"What? You pussy."

"…"

"No comeback?" he kneels in front of me and squints. "Jeez…You're really scared, aren't you?"

"…Didn't you feel the same way when you first started?"

"Well, yeah, at first…but I managed to find a way to reward myself for a job well done."

"…Blood?"

"Mhm."

Eight grins at me, as if to imply something.

"…Wait…No…No. I'm not doing that! I'm not a cannibal!"

"That's what I thought too…" he smirks. "Don't knock it till you try it, kid. It makes the job more bearable."

He pats my shoulder before straightening up and walking away. I don't believe him…I don't want to believe him…but after what I did to Namine, I want to do something, anything to ease the pain of taking another life.

"…I'll think about it…" I mutter. Eight stops for a moment.

"Well, that didn't take long!" he laughs. "You really are heartless, kid…"

…

"G…Good morning Mr. Ichi…" I say the next morning. Big Boss looks up from painting and smiles.

"How was your first day?" he asks.

"…Not…terrible…"

"You'll learn to appreciate our work in time…" he assures.

"Um…Alright…" I pretend to agree. These people are insane…I'm not going to rub them the wrong way…

"Mistah Big Boss, Mistah Big Boss, it worked!" Mr. Ichi's underlings burst into the room again, each with an enthusiastic countenance.

"What worked?"

"The separation process!" Yuffie says happily. "Take a look! Everyone else is in the lobby!"

"What? Axel is…" I begin but the others already left the room. I quickly follow.

Sure enough, the bosses are surrounding something. Their underlings are joining them this time. Some are murmuring to one another while others are commenting excitedly. Some shorter individuals are fighting through the crowd to see what the commotion's about. I'm one of them. I have difficulty doing so and Mr. Ni somehow notices. Without warning, he grabs my arm and forces me closer to the center of the large group.

"'Sup, newbie?" he greets me.

"Hi, Mr. Ni…and thanks…" I smile.

"Come on, move your ass! He's been bitching about wanting you to see him first, but all these people caught wind of what happened."

"Oh…Well, thanks anyway…"

For a second I thought he was trying to be nice…I see Axel, who appears to be uncomfortable because of the attention. Next to him is a quiet, annoyed-looking twin. Eight. I realize that they're surrounded by ogling female underlings, including his fan club members Rikku and Paine. When they notice me, their smiles disappear.

"Ugh, it's him again…" Paine growls.

"Don't bother Lord Hachi!" Rikku shouts. Axel cocks an eyebrow at her remark until he sees me.

"Hey, Roxas!" he gleams. The girls pout when the red-haired man completely ignores them and walks to me. Eight glances in my direction as well and smiles evilly.

"Oho, this is gonna be interesting…" I hear him say.


	30. The Second Secret, Roxas's story

Big Boss summoned me and the…other selves to his office. I wonder what he wants…Once I arrive, I see the others standing in a horizontal line in complete silence. Wow, even Eight looks serious. What's going on? I join the line by standing in the space between Mr. Ni and Ms. Juuni's other halves.. Huh, Cid and Yuffie are here too. What's going on?

"Organization members, I've summoned you here today to inform you that you will be transferred to another location." Mr. Ichi states with his intimidating voice. The others look slightly surprised but remain quiet. I, however, am in complete shock. We're being transferred? Where? How far away will we be from The Renovation Corp? Will I ever see Sora or Axel again?

"And, as a precaution, your scythes will be confiscated until you blend into your new environment."

"What? Oh, come on!" Eight speaks up.

"Eight, you're one of the main reasons for this precaution…" Big Boss's eyes narrow. "One, you are their new leader."

"Understood." Mr. Ichi's other half nods.

I begin to zone out as Big Boss explains the situation. I imagine what my new home, my new life will be like. I'm pretty screwed without Axel and the others protecting me from Eight's advances. I gulp. I know they're not concerned for _my_ well-being per se, but leaving me alone with him...Is this a good idea?

"Wait, how come the newbie gets to keep his other half?" Two asks. "Isn't he needed here too?"

"That's another matter I'd like to discuss...! Please come in here."

Xemnas sounded slightly annoyed when he called his partner. The scientist timidly enters the room with his head hung low.

"Apparently he's been keeping a few secrets from me." Big Boss explains. I raise an eyebrow. What does it have to do with me?

"As we all know, Axel wasn't the first member to undergo the separation process. What Vexen never told me was that the first test subject survived. It was Roxas."

...WHAT? But...when did I...I don't remember ever doing something like that! The other members stare at me shockingly.

"Although I was aware that Vexen used the separation process on someone else, he claimed that he died during the experiment. I wouldn't have figured out the truth if Axel didn't discover Roxas's whereabouts the night he was supposedly found reaping for another company," Big Boss continues. "The Roxass _we_ know was with Eight at the time. The one you _saw_ was his other half."

"Yeah...Yeah, it's coming back to me..." Nine lights up. "He was like a totally different person...Like...he was really clumsy an' stuff when he killed someone."

"Wait...does this indicate that _Roxas_ is the malevolent clone?" Mr. Juu's other half asks. A few nod in agreement. Eight smiles knowingly at me.

"So that's why you're so heartless..." I hear him say. I don't acknowledge him but he has a point. I was uncaring toward a variety of emotional incidents. When Kairi died...When Namine revealed the brunette's crush on me afterward...When I killed Namine...I was a cruel bastard and I didn't know why until now.

"But...But how come I don't remember...?" I wonder.

"Um..." Yuffie speaks up so I face her. "Remember those side-effects we mentioned a while back? Well, one of them is…amnesia. Ventus, your other half, doesn't remember you either."

"About that Astraea girl, Mistuh Big Boss…We found 'im," Cid adds. "He's waitin' in the lobby. He defected from her team 'cause he was tired of killin' and wanted to join the group stayin' at the Corp."

"Hmm..." Big Boss seems doubtful of the new recruit.

"What's wrong? Nine said she was a wimp anyway..." Larxene's other half points out.

"Well...how did she know that our company split into two groups?"

"Oh, that…nevuh crossed our minds," Cid laughs guiltily. "Ah'll kick 'im out if ya want..."

"No, let her stay..." their boss shakes his head. "We need someone to be Roxas's replacement. Just...tell the others to keep an eye on her. You do the same, Yuffie."

"Yessuh!"

"No problem!"

Mr. Ichi's underlings leave immediately to start their errand.

...I don't exactly approve of the idea. The nicer version of me is going to work in the same building as Axel. Surely they'd have more in common...I suddenly feel a little sick.

"Wouldn't it make more sense to let me stay here and make him go? Y'know...in case he is a spy, these guys can fight back..."

"Don't be stupid, newbie!" Two laughs. "If he stays here, the chances of him finding out our secrets, like, say, our new location, would be slim!"

...Well, it was worth a shot.

"Exactly. Speaking of which...The address of your new base is printed on this sheet," Mr. Ichi states while passing documents to us. "It is called Castle Oblivion. To non-members, this place does not exist and you do not exist. You will no longer explain to your target why you are after them. You're allowed to interact with the people in the nearby city but you are to leave no traces and reveal nothing about yourselves. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yeah."

"Gotcha!"

"Okay."

"Whatever..."

With that, the members return to their offices to say goodbye to their other halves. While I search for Ventus, I think desperately of a way to talk to her without sounding like a total dick. It's going to be difficult, but I'll try to be nice to him. Once I find him in the lobby, I take a deep breath and attempt to approach him. However, I'm stopped by a powerful force pressing onto my cranium. Ventus walks off and I lose my chance. The pressure then disappears. When I look up to find out what stopped me, I see a large hand, then an arm, then Eight.

"So, you're going to greet your competition, huh?" he states with a cheeky grin.

"I was trying to...and he's _not_ my competition!" I glare coldly at him.

"I dunno...He's a nicer...sweeter...gentler version of you...He and Redhead would get along _great_."

...It's like he can read my mind and I despise that.

"But you...nasty...spiteful...heartless you...are much more compatible with the likes of me..." he grabs me by the chin as he says this and I snatch my face away.

"Oho, I can't wait..." he continues. "You and me with those idiots in a place that no one else know about..."

Stop...Shut up...Don't remind me...

"By the time I'm done with you..." he states suavely, cruelly, just loud enough for me to hear as he stares at me with those scarily lustful red eyes, "you won't even remember that damn goody-goody."


	31. The Renovation Corp, Ventus's story

_The man who is immortal by night with spiked hair of blood shall find the one who will make his brethren prosper. It will be a boy with hair of gold and soul corrupt…_

"P…Prosper…c-corrupt…"

A young woman with short, unkempt black hair and a large scar on one of her blue eyes is being escorted out of The Renovation Corp while tightly bound onto a stretcher. She is trembling viciously and wearing a black hooded coat. She persistently mumbles the same statements. A man with tan skin and long black hair in an expensive-looking suit is walking alongside the woman's escorts. I'm only able to hear him say "…and keep her away from anything sharp". The men in white nod understandingly before they stroll to the Corp's entrance. The shaking girl glances at me and smiles.

"Roxy…I was…right…" she whispers happily.

…Roxy?

"I…I'm sorry…You're mistaking me for someone else…" I reply. She doesn't seem to hear me as she resumes her chanting. I haven't been here for thirty seconds and I'm starting to question my decision…

Something grabs my shoulder, nearly giving me a heart attack. I whirl around with my guard up and I see something unexpected. At first I believe I'm standing in front of a mirror but my reflection smiles at me.

"…Whoa…" I murmur, in total shock.

"Yeah…whoa…" the stranger agrees. "You're Ventus, right? Um…You may not remember me, but I'm Roxas. I'm…your other self."

"Oh…Wow, um…" I have difficulty finding the right words. I half-expected him to say he was my long lost brother…but my other self? Does that mean he's my clone?

"Where…um…How long…?" I resume my rambling.

"I don't know to be honest…I'm not even sure who came first, you or me." Roxas's smile becomes increasingly forced. "You, probably…"

"Oh…"

"So, um…" he clears his throat, "how was your first day here?"

"I can't say yet since I just got here…" I try to think of something that may ease the tension. "Is there anyone I should look out for, or…?"

"Well, there's…" my clone glances around the lobby as adults, presumably my new bosses, and other teenagers come and go. "…everyone you see."

…Well then.

"Then…what exactly should I be worried about?" I ask.

"…Where do I begin…?" after scanning the room again, he motions toward a woman with blond antennae. "That's Ms. Juuni. She curses like a sailor," he then looks toward a man with long hair and an eye patch. "The pirate's Mr. Ni. Avoid him whenever possible 'cause he _loves _messing with the new kid. Mr. Juu gambles a lot, but don't challenge him to anything 'cause you'll definitely lose. Mr. Ichi, we call 'im Big Boss, paints _everything_ and has the _creepiest _voice. Mr. Kyuu's the one with a mullet. He plays the sitar and is probably the coolest guy you'll ever meet. I swear, he can read minds... And, um…who else…"

"I…think I get it," I sullenly state. In other words, they're all nuts.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, they're good people…Just…don't look them in the eye." he sounds serious…

"O-Okay…"

"So, um…sorry to cut our conversation short but I'm leaving soon and I have some things to take care of," Roxas smiles apologetically. "Is there anything you need?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll find my way around."

Besides, it's just too weird to hang around with a stranger who looks exactly like me. Roxas says goodbye and disappears into a nearby hallway. I sigh heavily. My future isn't looking any brighter…

"Yo, Roxas! I thought you left already!"

Oh God, what now? I turn my head slightly to see the pirate walking toward me with a malicious grin. I stare cluelessly at him and he quickly catches on.

"Wait…You're that Ventus kid…" he realizes. "Since Roxas is leaving anyway…that means _you're _the newbie now."

"I suppose…" I decide to play along with the intimidating man. "I guess you'll help me get used to this place, huh?"

I hope I'm wrong…

"Yeah, right," the man sneers. "We'd get along better if you stayed outta my way."

"Oh…Okay…" I mutter gloomily.

"…Jeeheez, someone's sensitive…" Mr. Ni raises an eyebrow.

"S-Sorry…um…Do you know where Mr. Ichi's room is?"

"…Killjoy…" I hear him say under his breath. "Uh, yeah. He is at the end of that hall over there."

He points at the hallway I saw Roxas walk into. I thank him and speed walk to the hall before my discomfort becomes physically painful. I stroll past several doors with Roman numerals nailed onto them.

"You threw your cigarettes away?"

I pause in front of the room labeled "VIII" when I hear Roxas's voice. I feel awful for eavesdropping but my inquisitiveness prevents me from moving. I'll just listen to a little bit…

"That's good," he continues. "I…kinda wanted you to quit smoking for a while, but I didn't want to impose…"

No response. Confused, I decide to risk getting caught and open the door a minuscule crack. I see a lanky, anxious red-haired man sitting atop his desk next to Roxas.

"Axel…Axel, say something…" the blond pleads. …Since when was it okay to call your boss by his first name? The older man is unable to face my other half for some reason.

"…What have you and Eight been doing…?" he mutters after shifting uncomfortably.

"Wha…Nothing…"

"Nothing? You spent at least three days with him and _nothing_happened?" Axel raises his voice slightly.

"…Well…nothing _bad_…" now it's Roxas's turn to fidget.

"…You gave him your blood, didn't you…?"

"…"

"_Roxas_…Why would you do something like that? Eight is a very dangerous man!"

Eight…? Odd name for a person…I'll listen in for a little longer...

"I know, I know, and I regret it! Now he won't leave me alone…" Roxas growls. Axel still looks doubtful but he finally makes eye-contact with my clone.

"All this time I thought Eight was the one causing trouble, but you…" he begins.

"…I'm really sorry…"

"It's just…I feel like I'm being replaced."

"No! No, don't ever think that! I don't care how far away we are from each other! I will _never_replace you."

With that, Roxas leans closer to Axel, and…

…Oh my God…

I gasp before quickly clasping my hand onto my mouth. I discreetly close the door and walk slowly backwards until I hit a wall. Th…They're having an affair…But the red-haired man is clearly much older, and…Oh crap, I'm going to work with that man!

"Whoa, watch it, Roxas!" I hear an unfamiliar voice say. Apparently I toddled into someone's path. Still in shock, I stare blankly at the man who, as Roxas would describe him, is a telepathic sitarist. Mr. …Kyuu, I think.

"I…I'm not…" I stammer.

"…Oh, you're his clone, aren't you? Oops, my bad," he chuckles. "You know, you should really put on a name tag..."

"U-Uh-huh…"

"Hm? 'Sup with you?" he glances at Axel's door. "…Oh, man, you saw them together, didn't you?"

Suddenly unable to find my voice, I nod fervently.

"Oh, crap…Don't say anything about it, alright? Not a word. Just keep it between you and me."

"B…But why…? I…I look just like him, s-so what if he…I mean, he might…"

"Don't worry about that right now. Trust me on this," Mr. Kyuu places his hands on my shoulders and stares intently at me. "I caught them too once but you _don't_want Axel's bad side to find out you did. …Well, he's not with him anymore, but…"

"Excuse me?"

"…I'm not supposed to tell you this, but…you're not the only one who did that separation thing. Axel did it too, so his bad side Eight has his own body."

So that's who Eight is… It seems like Mr. Ni is hiding something but I decide against questioning him.

"Well…I have doubts about separating the two…I mean, if he's a part of your psyche, wouldn't getting rid of him make you snap or something?"

"What do you mean?"

"…Hell, I don't even know," he removes his hands and shrugs. "…Just...be careful, kiddo, alright?"

…You don't have to tell me twice…


	32. The Taste of Blood, Roxas's story

One leads us to the underworld of a nearby city. It's nighttime, but there is an eerie darkness in this place, almost as if something could jump out and attack us at any time. There are prostitutes and drug dealers working on the streets who are flashing us nasty stares. I stare at the ground to at least ease the piercing feeling of being hated just for existing. Unfortunately, I don't see where I'm going and bump into the person in front of me. I look up and see Nine glancing at me with a raised eyebrow before continuing his stroll. The others don't seem nearly as affected by the atmosphere as I am. Perhaps it's because they know they can take the lives of these lawbreakers without a second thought. And…I'm turning into one of them…

We approach a brown and green-topped building on the outskirts of the underworld. It's a creepy-looking castle with an unnerving bluish aura around it.

"This building will be out new hideout: Castle Oblivion," One explains before opening the door. "Do not worry; the people inside are our allies and will assist us with the upcoming war."

The war…I remember Sora and his weird friend mentioning that before. Since we're one of the larger groups we should have the advantage…but…it may mean that I'll be pitted against my brother's smaller group…

We enter the building. The walls, the furniture, _everything_ was white. There are indeed people inside, including young children, but they pay us no mind. There are hand-made masks and robes on the floor next to the kids. I feel a chill as I imagine them acting as killers for amusement.

"You decide amongst yourselves who will stay in which room," One says before leaving. The group dissipates and my partners call dibs on the bedrooms. I observed their expressions before they disappear into the castle's chambers. They seem completely indifferent to the sudden change in scenery. It's as if all that they've ever known iss killing and then allowing their other selves to take over. I can't help but feel sorry for them...

I take a look around the blindingly-white lobby. I see the doors to the bedrooms and a meeting room but not much else. I suddenly remember what these people use as a source of food…

The room starts to empty as the residents go to their rooms and sleep. They soon leave me alone with Eight and I stiffen when I realize that. I speed-walk through the nearest open door and thank the heavens that it's a bedroom. It's pretty big, larger than the one back home...I feel a lump in my throat as I remember my family.

I focus on the bed in front of me as I listen to the Eight's footsteps. I smooth the sheets and clench onto them each time I believe he's approaching me. When he walks away, I exhale. Okay…I need to lock the door something happe-

Something forces me to double over onto the bed. I want to scream but my mouth is tightly-covered by a hand. I feel something pressed against my backside as my arm is pinned down and I panic.

"Don't struggle…You'll make it hurt more…"

Eight…His suave voice contradicts his words, as usual. I try yelling again but all that comes out is muffled sounds. Since we're in the basement of the building and in solitude my chances of being rescued are slim. I attempt to elbow him in the stomach with my free arm but Eight somehow notices and renders it immobile with his weight. Shit…What am I going to do…? Tears begin to sting my eyes before I close them. I let out a ragged breath as Eight lifts my cloak and feels up my leg. No…Please stop…Stop! You look like him…Like my Axel…but you're not him! It's not the same!

…His gloves are off…His hands are bare…vulnerable…The second the hand on my lips loosen slightly, I open my mouth as far as I can and bite him.

"Fuck!" the man shouts but refuses to let go. I sink my teeth in his palm again and again until I feel the skin tear with my tongue.

And…by accident…I taste some of his blood.

It tastes like iron and is a thick, unpleasant substance that trickles down my throat. It's awful at first, but then the aftertaste…It's difficult to explain…but it's not terrible…

"See? That wasn't so bad," Eight coos before letting me go. I can feel his cold blood on my chin so I wipe it off. I stare at it. After the horrible iron flavor, its taste was rather…pleasant… For a brief moment, my vision becomes a deep shade of red, reminiscent of the liquid on my knuckle. My mind is blank and all I can think about is getting more. I am losing myself…my morals…my humanity…It's a terrifying feeling so I quickly smear the blood on my coat and regain my composure. I never want to go through that again…

"I figured something out, Blondie," he continues as he sits next to me on the bed. "Your blood is so damn irresistible because you're one of us. Before you came along, we never tasted each other's blood. It's…kinda like a an unspoken rule. So I figured…your first time tapping into your true roots should be a pleasant experience."

"W…What?" it takes a few seconds for his words to process in my mind. "You pretended to attempt raping me just so I could drink blood?"

"Yup. You didn't honestly think I'd sleep with you, did you?" he laughs at me as I find the strength to stand back up.

"…I hate you…" I say darkly.

"You are _such_ a bad liar!"


	33. Going Home, Ventus's story

Being a secretary at the Renovation Corp is a lot less eventful than I imagined. I know it's my first day, but I have yet to do anything meaningful. My superior is too busy painting his walls to pay me any attention. The heavy silence is too much for me to bear. It's bad enough that the sanity of these people is questionable. I need to do _something _to distract me from the lingering uneasy feeling.

"I'm…going to take a look around, Mr. Ichi," I tell him but he doesn't hear me. With a sigh I exit the office. As I walk down the abnormally-long hallway I see a familiar redhead in front of me with his head hung low. He's the same man who has that presumed affair with my clone. I walk as far away behind him as possible and try my hardest to prevent making a sound with each step. With every step I take I cringe and glance at the redhead. I can feel the perplexed eyes of my other bosses on me as I do this. Thank goodness, the redhead still doesn't notice me. I'm not sure if he would mistake me for his boyfriend and attack me, but I'm not planning to find out. I get closer to the end of the hallway. Hopefully I can slip away before he turns to whichever direction he needs to go.

I hear a floorboard creak. Oh no…I was so close…The redhead freezes and turns toward the sound. Panicking, I open the nearest door and go through it. I slam it shut ad stare at it for a good minute. As I soothed my pounding heart I hear music. It's relaxing and well-played and makes me forget my troubles for a moment. Wondering how my intrusion didn't interrupt the musician, I discover that I stumbled into Mr. Kyuu's room. He's leaning back in his chair while strumming a sea-blue sitar. The man's staring at me, possibly waiting for an explanation.

"I-I'm sorry, I…"

"Ran into Axel? That's okay," he shrugs while playing. "Stay in here for a bit."

So Roxas was telling the truth about his telepathy…

"You play the sitar?" I ask an obvious question to strike up a conversation. "What a unique design…It doesn't look like a bass, so…is it a Ravi Shankar or a Vilayat Khan?"

Mr. Kyuu stares blankly at me. I believe that what I said sounded dorky so I avert my gaze.

"A Vilayat…I didn't know you knew about music, kiddo," he says. "Then again, your other half didn't even know what _Blackbird_ was."

"By the Beatles? I love that song!" I choose not to acknowledge the mentioning of Roxas.

"…You and I are gonna be pals, y'know that?" he smiles before he suddenly stops playing. He stares at the setting sun with a blissful countenance. "It's been a while since I've seen the nighttime."

"Huh?"

"Oh, right, you and Roxas had your own bodies longer than us."

There he goes again. I wrinkle my nose. I know Mr. Kyuu isn't doing it intentionally, but I don't want to be labeled as Roxas's other half. I didn't even know this guy existed until this morning!

Without his music, the room becomes painfully quiet. Mr. Kyuu doesn't seem to be aware of my presence anymore so I sit quietly across from him. It looks like the musician is hypnotized by the moon. He missed the night _that _much? Why? What prevented him from seeing it? These people are so weird…

…

"It's time for you all to go home," Big Boss, who's holding a sheet of paper, announces as if it's something new. …And apparently it is; my other bosses, including Mr. Kyuu and the redhead are in a daze.

"G…Go…home…? You're fucking with us, right?" the cursing blonde says.

"A-As if," the pirate loses his playful demeanor for the first time since I've met him. "When does Big Boss ever joke?"

"Xigbar's right. I'm completely serious. Your night shifts are terminated as of today, so feel free to return to your families."

I glance at their faces. Most of them are still speechless. Some of them have their mouths covered and tears in their eyes. When's the last time they've gone home, I wonder? There's so much about this company I know nothing about and it's beginning to scare me…The employers quickly leave the Corp but Big Boss stays put for some reason. He keeps staring at me, so he clearly wants something.

"May I help you, Mr. Ichi?" I ask before his gaze becomes a bit _too_ creepy. He hands me the sheet of paper and I stare at him questioningly.

"Go to this address," he tells me.

"O-Okay…" he's too scary to ask why. Besides, they wouldn't get rid of me after the first day, right? They need me here, don't they?

Then again, I don't really do anything…

…

After asking about five people and missing the building a few times I reach my destination. It's someone's house but the paper doesn't say whose. The only other information written on it is "Tell the people in the building your name". What on Earth are Big Boss's intentions? Well, the only way I can find out is by going inside. I knock on the door and wait for someone to answer. Within seconds a young man who looks almost exactly like me answers. It isn't Roxas, but he has quite a bit of similarities. Without warning he wraps his arms around me, practically knocking me down.

"Roxas…Oh God, Roxas, are you okay?" he asks. Is he crying? He must be my clone's brother…and he thinks I'm him. I suddenly remember the instructions Big Boss gave me.

"M…My name is Ventus…" I murmur. The brunet pulls away and looks at me, his hands still clenching to my shoulders.

"W…What did you say?"

"Ventus…My name is Ventus."

Even though I say that, he hugs me again. This embrace is even tighter than the last one, so I quickly lose my ability to breathe.

"Lil' bro…y-you came back…you really did…S-So that means you and Roxas became one again, right?"

…Okay, now I'm confused. Isn't Roxas his brother?

"_I'm not even sure who came first, you or me. You, probably._"

So that's what Roxas meant…


	34. The Reason Why One, Roxas's story

_Mommy, where are we going?_

_Mommy...I...I don't want to be here..._

_M-Mommy...I'm scared...!_

...

My eyes snap open and for a millisecond my vision has a red tint. This is the third time I had that nightmare. Each time it becomes clearer. Mother...or the person who pretended to be my mother...took Ventus somewhere when he was little. The boy was terrified, as expected from a child whose parents left him in the hands of a stranger.

Stranger? It was Vexen, for sure. The real mystery is...why?

I give up on making sense of the recurring dream shortly after and scan the room. It's completely white with a one-person bed and a desk. It certainly isn't as appealing as my old bedroom but I'll have to grow accustomed to it. I'm not allowed to return home. It's probably for the best anyway...

Someone knocks harshly on my door and says "Yo, Blondie! Are you in a coma or something? Get your ass up!". I groan at the annoying redhead before sliding off my bed. I exit the bedroom and am greeted by the children I saw yesterday. They're holding a pair of brown-topped-beige-bottomed pants; black shoes with red straps; a black shirt with a pointy zipper; a white jacket with plaid on its lining; and two rings, one white and one black. I look at them questioningly.

"A disguise," says a girl.

"For when you explore the city, y'know?" a boy adds. I nod understandingly before taking the clothing. I soon realize that some of my partners, who had finally left their rooms, are dressed like civilians instead of wearing their coats. Not wanting to keep them waiting I quickly reenter my room and change. As I zip up my undershirt I wonder why we need to go into the city. Are we scoping out the place before resuming our duties? Are we going to befriend the townspeople to avoid suspicion? Either way, it's despicable.

...

One told us to explore the city individually once we left the underworld. It's filled with animated people who are spending what is likely their final hours at work or socializing. The buildings have vibrant decorations and peculiar yet cute mascots with red pom-poms sprouting from their heads. I avoid any eye-contact with passersby. I refuse to gain their trust only to stab them in the back later...like I did with Namine...

"Eight...? Is that a nickname or something?"

...Seriously...? I cringe before turning toward the direction I heard the voice. Sure enough, Eight is a short distance away having a conversation with three teenagers. One is a slender brunette in orange, the second's a blond guy with punk-like camouflage, and the third's a chubby boy with a red jersey and a headband. Eight's clearly flirting with the girl; she's giggling and the larger kid is staring at her dishearteningly. ...Did he already forget what we're here for? That man can't be left alone for one second...

"Can you at least pretend to take your job seriously?" I say when I approach the group.

"Awww, but Blondie..." Eight pouts before I grab him by the shirt collar and start walking away.

"Let's go, Eight," I growl, pinching the bridge of my nose. I hear the girl laughing again and glance at Eight. He's shrugging dejectedly with a charming smile. For God's sake...Stay calm, Roxas...

...

When we return to the castle I search for Four. He, being Vexen's other half, must know something about my past. Why did Mom send me...or Ventus...to the Organization? She's only treating me poorly because I'm not the "original", right?

"Well, if I remember correctly..." the scientist murmurs while rubbing his chin, "the woman gave her child to us when he was four or five. I needed a guinea pig for the separation process and she volunteered to help immediately. It was a peace offering between our groups."

"What? She's a Reaper too?"

"Oh, no, she's more like a...supervisor. Her other son, your brother, initiated a group with his friends."

So...from the beginning, she...

I suddenly feel sick.

"Anyway, that's all I know. Why the sudden curiosity?" Four asks. I slowly shake my head as I stare at nothing in particular. All this time...She...and Dad... They...never cared... It wasn't even me...It was Ventus... They...They never wanted Ventus...so they abandoned him... Viewed him as a treaty between organizations and nothing more... They didn't even consider using another method... Just to leave their offspring with a madman who almost didn't succeed with his experiment. Ventus..._I _could have died and they didn't...even...care...

"...die? ...What...you say...Four?"

"He...to know...the expri..."

"...told him?"

I ease my way out of shock when Eight shakes me awake. I look at him vacantly. He seems genuinely worried about me. The platinum-blond scientist leaves while wiping blood from the fresh wound on his lip.

"Roxas?" Eight says for the first time. "...Uh...Sorry you had to find out this way."

"...If you knew, then...Axel..."

"No, it's not like that. We know that some woman came to us with a kid, willing to negotiate. We found out the kid's identity the same time as you."

"...I just..." my eyes lower, "wanted to believe that maybe...at some point...my parents loved me...but from the beginning I was used. I was...disposable to them."

"I know the feeling, Blondie. Why do you think I'm here? I was never supposed to exist. But guess what? I do. And I'm going to be remembered, dammit. I suggest you leave your mark too, so you can shove it in your asshole parents' faces," Eight pats my back hard enough to impair my balance briefly. He has a strange way of showing kindness but I can always tell that it's real.

"...Thank you..." I say as my cheeks become warm.

"Yeah, yeah. ...Are you blushing?"

"Huh?" I mumble before swiftly shaking my head. "I don't know what you're-"

"Holy shit, you are..."

"W-Well, it's your fault!"

"What, I can't be nice to you without you taking it the wrong way?" Eight snarls. "Oh, that's it. This is the _last _time, Blondie."

The man walks away in a huff. As I watch him, I can't help but smile. I'm the only one who can get him this irritated. So...yeah, of course I'll get my hopes up.


	35. The Reason Why Two, Ventus's story

Sora told me to wait in the living room for his..._our_ mother. She'll supposedly clarify what happened when Roxas was created. I'm shifting nervously on the couch as I contemplate whether I want to know the truth. Did she leave me to be experimented on because she didn't have a choice or because she didn't want me? Would I rather live in denial or reclaim my lost memories?

"So Ventus…Um…What've you been up to?" my brother asks while sitting next to me with two drinks.

"N-Not much…I was raised by a doctor and her boyfriend. They taught me how to fend for myself…but…their method wasn't for me."

"What happened?"

"I defec…went my own path. I was offered a job…Thought of it as an opportunity start over with a clean slate. Then…it turned out that they knew more about me than I thought. A lot more. So…here I am."

"I see…" Sora taps his cup while staring at the carpet. "I…I would've told you what happened if I knew more, really, but I found out what I know on my own. Mom left with you one day and came home with Roxas. He looked dead and had no idea who I was. Didn't take me long to realize something was wrong."

"And…And then…" I suddenly remember something, "she took me…to one of her coworkers…and said…ugh…what did she say…?"

Before I could recall my mother's words she enters the house while on her cell phone. Her hair is short and she's wearing glasses and a lab coat.

"Yes, I just made it home. Why?" she says before closing the door. Sora and I stare at her until she notices me.

"…I'll call you back," she mumbles. "Roxas, where have you been? You've been gone for two days."

"Three days, Mom," Sora corrects her irritatingly.

"M-My name's Ventus…" I say. The woman's indifferent expression immediately changes as she rushes to me and places her hands on my cheeks. She's probably ensuring that my appearance isn't a figment of her imagination. She then drops on her knees and embraces me. I can hear her cell clank on the floor and see an upset Sora. While I'm this close to my mother I smell her perfume. It makes the hard-to-reach memory click in my mind.

"M…Mom…" I'm not yet used to saying that aloud.

"Yes, Ven?"

"Do you know someone named Aqua?"

Her hug loosens and she sighs. She pulls away before sitting on the couch and patting the area between herself and Sora.

"Yes…She's a close friend of mine who works at the same hospital as me..."

She goes on to explain that Aqua had Roxas as one of her patients recently and told her that she couldn't live with the guilt anymore. Mom offered to take me in if Aqua convinced me to retire from reaping and send me to a certain company: the Renovation Corporation. The rest would've been taken care of from there.

"That doesn't explain why you did it in the first place…" I say once she finishes. "Why send me to the Corp?"

"Because I was blackmailed…The Corp knew about Kingdom Hearts, a group of Reapers, and threatened to turn Sora and his friends in…"

I gasp and look at the brunet, whose shame is evident.

"…unless I did them a favor. It turned out that one of their employees was working on something and needed a guinea pig to work out the kinks. To protect your brother I gave them you. You lost your memory of anything preceding the experiment so I asked Aqua and Terra to look after you to avoid any…complications."

…Based on her story…she was more worried about Sora's well-being than my own. She doesn't seem too proud of what she did, but still…

…

"The Left Rights or Studio Killers?" Mr. Kyuu asks when Mr. Ichi's errand involves visiting him. "They're both strange...but in a good way. Which one would you pick?

"...Huh? Oh…I dunno…" I respond as I hand him a syllabus describing his new position. "Sorry, I'm not in the mood to discuss music right now. …I met my parents yesterday."

"Oh," the man ceases his sitar playing. "How'd it go?"

"They were really nice to me…but…it felt like they acted that way because they felt guilty."

"Maybe they just feel awkward around you. It's been about ten years since the first experiment."

"S-Sorry. I'm probably just being paranoid…" I smile sadly. "I've never felt like I belonged anywhere…"

"Which is ironic since _you're_ the original…"

"Haha, you're right. Gosh, if this is how I feel I wonder what Roxas is going through right now. I'm being insensitive…"

"…Alright, that's it. I'm going to introduce you to the pups," Demyx puts his sitar down and stands up. I tilt my head.

"Yeah. You've been moping around all day," he glances at his watch. "It's time for our lunch break anyway. Come on."

…

At first I'm reluctant to follow my boss to…wherever we're going, but I've already been readily welcomed to the home of who might as well be strangers the day before. He assures that we won't stray too far from work. It would be nice to be away from the office for a while anyway, considering what happened to me there. We soon make it to the park where a group of kids are playing near a group of benches that are under a canopy. A few adults were conversing while occasionally glancing at the children. They're probably day care counselors.

"Daddy!" a girl with hair similarly-colored to Demyx runs to us and reaches desperately for the sitarist. Seconds after Mr. Kyuu picks up his daughter several other kids rush to us while saying "Demmy! Demmy's here!" before hugging his legs.

"Hey there, sweetie…H-How you been?" Demyx sounds choked up when he talks to the girl. She's crying on his shoulder. "You miss me…?"

"Of course…I did…Dummy!" his daughter says between sobs. The counselors approach him as well.

"It's so nice to see you again, Demyx."

"I…I can't thank you enough for looking after my little girl…" says the dirty-blond.

"Oh, she was no trouble at all."

"Who's your friend, Demmy?" a child asks while pointing at me.

"Pups, this is Ventus. He works at the Corp with me."

The kids respond with an intrigued "Oooh…". Their eyes are all on me so I can't help but blush a little.

"Did you have to go away for a long time too, Mr. Ventus?" asks one. I raise an eyebrow before looking at Mr. Kyuu.

"My job pretty much took over my life for six months," he explains. My eyes widen. He had to leave his daughter alone for half a year? I can see how closely he holds her when he reminds himself of what kept them apart.

For about fifteen minutes the children tug me in different directions with hopes of making me participate in their games. I go from playing Tag to Hide-and-Seek to Kickball to Tag again. It's a bit of a hassle but it distracts me from what's been going on as of late. When I finally break free I go to Mr. Kyuu. He's listening intently to his daughter, who's informing him of what she's done and what he missed since he left.

"I'm gonna go play with my friends now, 'kay, Daddy?" she says. "I'm…going home with you today…r-right?"

"Of course..." Demyx says gently. "Make sure to thank Ms. Dawson for looking after you when I pick you up after work."

"I will!" his daughter gleams before hopping off her seat and running away. I sit down in her place as Demyx watches.

"Feeling better, kiddo?" he asks.

"Mhm. Thank you, Mr. Kyuu. …Um…" I look around for the other counselors. They're too preoccupied by the children to pay attention to us. "I think I know what's been bugging me about my parents."

"Yeah?"

"When you saw your daughter you cried. My, um, parents didn't shed a single tear."

"…You know, I can tell you what happened that day. I wasn't supposed to but…" his voice lowers to a whisper, "I witnessed it."

"Really? What happened?"

"…Hmm, tell me what you know first."

"I was sent to the Corp because my mom had to talk them out of revealing my brother's secret…and I don't remember anything that happened beforehand."

"You think your mom didn't care, right?"

"Well, not as much as she should…"

"Kiddo, she was absolutely terrified. She looked even more scared than you did and you were the one being tested on. She held your hand the entire time and constantly chanted 'Please be alright, _please_ be alright…'."

"…Then…why…"

"They must not want to let their emotions to overpower them. Back then, she was kinda new at it, but that's one of the essentials of being a Reaper. …At least, that's what I've heard."

I'm not convinced by Demyx's claim since he's probably just trying to make me feel better. It's a nice thought to fill the void in my memories, though. For now, I'll take it.

"So give 'em a chance," Mr. Kyuu continues. "After all, they're still your parents."

"…Okay."

I'm lying to myself but that's the path I might have to take to stomach the situation I'm in. For Aqua and Terra I'll try…even if it means that both my new family and I feel obligated to.


	36. The Chemical, Roxas's story

_Mommy…I…don't want to be here…_

_Don't you love your brother?_

The damn dream again… It added more pieces to the story. Mother convinced Ventus when he was a young boy that what she was doing was right. What kind of parent does that…? I can't believe that all this time I thought that I was at fault for being treated badly… I bet everyone at school is in on it too.

I'll never understand why Xion worships the Reapers…Not only are their murders unjustifiable, they lie shamelessly and have no concern for the people who aren't their targets.

...As if on cue, Four practically knocks my door down. I'm highly convinced that the only thing these people are good at is killing.

"Eight just informed me that you've been drinking his blood," he says as I sit up on my bed. "When was this?"

"…Yesterday," I decide against mentioning how I did. Four invades my personal space and observes my face closely.

"Hmm…you still seem okay…" he mutters, "but as a precaution I'll need to inject you with this."

The scientist shows me a syringe with an eerie purple liquid inside. I stare blankly at it before refocusing on my boss.

"Do not worry. You're not the first to take this chemical. It's given to every cannibalistic member."

"Oh…Does it prevent health problems or something?"

"Nooot quite, but trust me, it's necessary."

Before I could respond he sticks the needle in my arm and forces the liquid into my bloodstream. I snatch my limb away and barely manage to avoid snapping the needle in half. I glare at the madman while pressing on my arm to stop the bleeding. I then notice something strange. It may be an effect of the chemical, but…


	37. A Genuine Reaper, Axel's story

_**What the fuck is Four doing leaving Blondie's bedroom? I thought I made it perfectly clear that he shouldn't mess with the kid! Unbelievable. I guess I'll have to deal with him later. For now…I'll need to reclaim my property.**_

"_**What were you two talking about?" I ask Blondie when he leaves his room in his civilian clothing. He practically jumps out of his skin.**_

"_**How long were you standing outside my door?" he asks while clenching onto his chest. His eyes then lower to the flame emitting from my scythe. That's right, kid, we get them back today…The fire soon engulfs the lighter and stretches into the shape of my weapon. Roxas tries to escape but I grab him with my free hand. He freezes once I press my blade against his neck.**_

"_**It's a simple question, Blondie…What. Were you. Doing?" I repeat slowly.**_

"_**H-He's my mentor. Why else would he be here?"**_

"_**Reeeally…That's all?"**_

"…_**Yeah," he claims. I continue to stare. "W-What, are you thirsty?"**_

"_**Awww…" I swiftly slice the boy's neck and expose his delicious flesh. "You know me so well…"**_

_**I lap up whatever trickles down his neck and suck out my share from the cut. Blondie groans and clenches onto my shirt but doesn't stop me. It's about time that he surrendered. I get chills when I find out that despite our "break", his feelings are still the same: full of rage and courage.**_

"_**Stop…"**_

_**I don't listen. I actually feed more robustly.**_

"_**S-Stop…"**_

_**What's his deal all of a sudden…? I find out quickly when he pulls away far enough to show me his face. He's breathing heavily and has angry, bright red eyes. For once, he looks like a genuine Reaper. Might as well give the boy what he wants…**_


	38. SideEffects, Ventus's story

Mr. Kyuu and I return to work, smiling and excitedly discussing music. We get uncomfortable or teasing looks from our coworkers but I don't mind. Now I know that not everyone in the Corp is completely bonkers. The time I spend with Demyx kind of makes up for the downward spiraling of my life since I left Aqua and Terra.

"…So, uh…I guess I should let you get back to work," I say. Demyx pats my shoulder before we part ways. On my way back to Mr. Ichi's office I look through the redhead's office window. I still think that letting him see me is too risky so I don't walk inside. …My goodness, he looks terrible…His eyes are shifting and hands are buried in his spiky hair. His heel is tapping fervently and teeth are gritting. Now I'm even more afraid to face him…

"Whatcha lookin' at, newbie?" The pirate asks. He glances at his coworker before giving me a chance to answer. "Oh. Yeah, he's been doing that all day."

"W-Why?"

"Prolly because he stopped smoking cold turkey. That can make a guy go a little crazy."

Are these really withdrawal symptoms for a former smoker? Since they know about his behavior and are doing nothing about it, I doubt that Mr. Ni will care enough to listen to my theory. …And he left anyway so I would just be talking to myself.

"Oh no…"

I check up on Mr. Kyuu since he's the one who foresaw this. His condition isn't as severe as Mr. Hachi's but he seems to have a headache. It's not enough to raise an alarm but I feel responsible for keeping an eye on him…


	39. Saving Roxas, Riku's story

It's nighttime. Sora, to my surprise, came to my house with his weapon. He asks me…no, he begs me to help him find Roxas. I want to ask why but he probably would've hit me. The poor guy genuinely loves this…clone of his real brother.

"What about your mom?" I ask as I take my blade out of my bedroom drawer.

"What about her?" Sora growls. "She's no help, as usual. We're on our own this time."

"…Gotcha."

While leading me somewhere he tells me that the blue-haired doctor knows where Roxas is located. She and her boyfriend offered to form an alliance.

"We already have one, though…" I remind him.

"It's…shaky. They can't help anyway. They're just a house renovating company…"

"That means they know the area better than us. Come on, Sora…"

"We need more help. End of discussion."

…Man, seeing him take control like that makes my heart pound… Erm, anyway, we end up at the hospital and meet our fellow Reapers at the door. They have masks on, knives, and test tubes full of what is likely poison.

"So we have an agreement?" says the brown-haired bulky man.

"_If_ you tell us where Roxas is."

"Right. Well…we heard that some people saw suspicious characters in a neighboring city. We just need to find out where their hideout is."

...Vague, but we have nothing else to go on. We'll just have to ask around and pray that a useful informant is still awake…

…

By some miracle, we find three. They're teenagers who say that they met a gay couple yesterday.

"The blond was mad because the redhead with the freaky eyes was flirting with Olette," says the punk in camouflage.

"He wasn't flirting! He was just…striking up a conversation!" the one called Olette exclaims.

"Uh-huh…"

"Anyway…I remember them mentioning something about work…then they went in that direction."

"That's where the underworld is, isn't it?"

The underworld? Aqua asks them what the place looks like. Apparently it's filled with people who break different laws. How fitting…

"Come on!" Sora says. "Roxas might be in trouble!"

He grabs my hand and drags me to the direction the girl pointed at. I can hear our partners quickly following suit. We are soon surrounded by an eerie darkness, even though it's already dark out. There are hookers and dealers scattered about but no Roxas. We need to move further in. The place becomes increasingly unsafe so we unveil our weapons to keep onlookers away. We don't need them to slow us down.

A creepy castle that everyone else stays away from…This must be the place. Aqua motions us to be quiet.

"We need to get Roxas and get out," she says. "Now, you two can go through the windows while Terra and I take the back. Anyone who isn't Roxas you put into submission but keep alive. We're still professionals."

We all nod before parting. Sora climbs on the ridges of the wall and goes through the left-most window. I enter the right and look around for the blond pain in my ass. I soon run into a man with long hair and an eyepatch. He gives me little time to react and I bend backwards, barely missing his scythe.

"Ooh, I didn't know we were having visitors," he says with a sadistic grin. He strikes again and I lean to the side. From my peripheral vision, I can see some strands of silver hair floating in the air. Shit, that was too close…I decide not to waste time and grab his weapon. I then kick his shin hard enough for him to lose his balance. I grab his arm before forcing it onto his back. I push him down and knock his weapon just out of his reach.

"Now…I'm tired and I don't want to be here. Where's Roxas?" I say.

"Wait, that's what you're here for? …Ohhh, you're Kingdom Hearts…"

"…How do you…?"

"Ahaha…Still can't believe your team mom did our bidding just because of a secret we both shared…"

…No…They're…the same people…? But…but I know the company's back home! What are they doing here?

…So that's why they needed Ventus…

I let the man go. I keep my guard up but all he does is rotate his arm before picking up his scythe and changing it into a laser pointer.

"If you want newbie, he's probably hanging out with Eight. He's a tall red-haired freak. You can't miss 'im."

"Why are you being so civil?"

"'Cause we're allies. You're no threat to us, we're no threat to you. Just…let the others know if you run into them so you won't get your ass kicked."

…

I do just that. All I have to say is the name of my group and the others let me through. Huh. So all this time we were working with other Reapers. Maybe they can help us find the bastards who killed Kairi.

"Roxas, stop!" I hear Sora's voice and rush to his aid.

He and the others found Roxas. The man with him must be Eight. The blond's holding two scythes and has different-colored eyes than what I remember. He's staring hatefully at Sora.

"Roxas…?" Sora says but gets no answer. His brother is inching his way toward him with an obvious intent to kill. I hurriedly stand between them and he freezes.

"Get out of my way…" Roxas says. His voice changed too… I shake my head and take out my weapon.

"Don't make me do this, kid…" I growl. _Hunt them down…Play their god…Take their hearts… _starts playing in my head when he shows no signs of backing down. I don't want Sora to hate me but I might have to take drastic measures.

"U-Ugh!" Eight suddenly wraps his arms around his stomach and doubles over. He's sweating bullets. That manages to distract the brainwashed blond. He slowly turns to face his friend. Aqua goes to the pained Reaper and gives him a brief checkup. I guess it's the nature of a doctor…

"Oh my God…This man, h-he's been poisoned!" she exclaims. "Terra, I said not to kill anyone!"

"I only brought my knife with me!"

"Augh…Shit…How was I…" Eight says between breaths before lighting up. He glares at Roxas, who went back to shortening the distance between himself and Sora. I back away, forcing my brunet partner to do the same.

"Roxas…Come on, snap out of it…" I try the gentle approach but he has no interest in negotiating.

"I-It's…It's my fault…I'm sorry, Roxas…I'm so sorry…" I hear Sora mutter helplessly. He grabs my shirt and is shaking violently. "I knew…I knew but I didn't stop her…Forgive me…"

"…I…" Roxas hesitates and lowers his scythes.

He spasms, as if something pushed him forward. A flesh-covered blade then appears on his chest. Droplets of his blood land on my face. I soon see Eight behind him with Aqua who tried but failed to hold him back. Roxas' eyes change from its scary red to a pale, lifeless blue.

"You…son of a bitch…" the redhead says before fainting.


	40. The Final Chapter

"_…the two victims of the incident at the neighboring city's 'underworld' died this morning. The first victim, whose name and age are unknown, stabbed Roxas Juusan, aged sixteen, in the chest before succumbing to the poison he consumed earlier that day. During the autopsy it was confirmed that both men had a similar chemical in their bloodstreams but it was stationary until exposed to the air. It was possible that…_"

Sora and Riku are watching the news at the Juusan household. The brunet has been quiet since the incident and his companion doesn't know how to console him. Mrs. Juusan is turning the other cheek, as always, despite the fact that the bodies are at her hospital.

…

"_…the mystery man was using Roxas as a source of nourishment before his untimely demise. His doctor offered to save him or at least stall the poison's effects but the man said, quote, 'I'd rather die than become whole again', end quote. According to Xenmas Ichi, the CEO of the Renovation Corporation, the unknown man's twin needed him for medical reasons. Unfortunately, his brother was turned down as well. Had the man no heart?_"

Ventus is watching at the Trelos Mental Institution. He's there to inform the woman at the front desk that he may have to admit a new patient. He believes that he can help his friend, prevent him from snapping, since he caught the abnormalities early. The mentioning of Roxas on the news catches his attention. Although he's only known the boy for a brief time his heart sinks. The boy was still a part of him…

"Hello Roxy," an unfamiliar voice calls him while he waits for the worker to search for openings. He whirls around to see a pretty girl with unkempt black hair and bandages on her eye. He recognizes her as the girl who was carried out of the Corp on a stretcher. Based on her clothing, she lives here.

"I'm Ventus," he corrects her again. "Roxas…is gone…"

"…I see," she looks down. "Well, I hope the prophecy came true."

"…What prophecy?"

"It's pretty well-known among Reaper worshipers. Basically it said Roxas was going to make an organization grow stronger. Not sure how, but as long as it happened… Say, are you okay? You look kinda sick..."


End file.
